The Nuclear Physics of Type Ia Supernovae

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are the thermonuclear incineration of white dwarfs, which are the evolutionary terminus of low-mass stars; these supernovae are a primary source of iron in the universe and the premier distance indicator for cosmological studies. Current and future observational surveys are uncovering tantalizing clues about the as-yet-unknown progenitors of these explosions. In this talk, I shall review the nuclear physics of the explosion, with a particular emphasis on the role of weak interactions. Electron captures during the pre-explosive ``simmering'' and the explosion make the nucleosynthetic yields more neutron-rich. This provides in principle a way to constrain the nature of the progenitor from observations. I shall also highlight recent experimental constraints on electron-capture rates and prospects for further experimental studies, such as at the \emph{Facility for Rare Isotope Beams}.