The main application of Type Ia supernovae is as a standard candle. Generally speaking they all have the same luminosity, so if you see one you can infer how f

The main application of Type Ia supernovae is as a standard candle. Generally speaking they all have the same luminosity, so if you see one you can infer how far away it was based on its apparent brightness. Distance measurements using Type Ia supernovae was how dark energy was discovered. So a better understanding of the mechanism of Type Ias can help to better understand the variance in their luminosity, which in turn would provide better measurements of the accelerating expansion of the universe.