1,174 research outputs found
Evidence for sub-Chandrasekhar-mass progenitors of Type Ia supernovae at the faint end of the width-luminosity relation
The faster light-curve evolution of low-luminosity Type Ia supernovae (SNe
Ia) suggests that they could result from the explosion of white dwarf (WD)
progenitors below the Chandrasekhar mass (). Here we present 1D
non-LTE time-dependent radiative transfer simulations of pure central
detonations of carbon-oxygen WDs with a mass (M_\rm{tot}) between 0.88
M and 1.15 M, and a yield between 0.08
M and 0.84 M. Their lower ejecta density compared to
models results in a more rapid increase of the luminosity at early
times and an enhanced -ray escape fraction past maximum light.
Consequently, their bolometric light curves display shorter rise times and
larger post-maximum decline rates. Moreover, the higher
M(^{56}\rm{Ni})/M_\rm{tot} ratio at a given mass enhances the
temperature and ionization level in the spectrum-formation region for the less
luminous models, giving rise to bluer colours at maximum light and a faster
post-maximum evolution of the colour. For sub- models fainter
than mag at peak, the greater bolometric decline and faster
colour evolution lead to a larger -band post-maximum decline rate, . In particular, all of our previously-published models
(standard and pulsational delayed detonations) are confined to mag, while the sub- models with
M_\rm{tot}\lesssim 1 M extend beyond this limit to mag for a peak mag, in better agreement
with the observed width-luminosity relation (WLR). Regardless of the precise
ignition mechanism, these simulations suggest that fast-declining SNe Ia at the
faint end of the WLR could result from the explosion of WDs whose mass is
significantly below the Chandrasekhar limit.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
The Thermonuclear Explosion Of Chandrasekhar Mass White Dwarfs
The flame born in the deep interior of a white dwarf that becomes a Type Ia
supernova is subject to several instabilities. We briefly review these
instabilities and the corresponding flame acceleration. We discuss the
conditions necessary for each of the currently proposed explosion mechanisms
and the attendant uncertainties. A grid of critical masses for detonation in
the range - g cm is calculated and its
sensitivity to composition explored. Prompt detonations are physically
improbable and appear unlikely on observational grounds. Simple deflagrations
require some means of boosting the flame speed beyond what currently exists in
the literature. ``Active turbulent combustion'' and multi-point ignition are
presented as two plausible ways of doing this. A deflagration that moves at the
``Sharp-Wheeler'' speed, , is calculated in one dimension
and shows that a healthy explosion is possible in a simple deflagration if the
front moves with the speed of the fastest floating bubbles. The relevance of
the transition to the ``distributed burning regime'' is discussed for delayed
detonations. No model emerges without difficulties, but detonation in the
distributed regime is plausible, will produce intermediate mass elements, and
warrants further study.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures included, uses aaspp4.sty. Submitted to Ap
A scalar hyperbolic equation with GR-type non-linearity
We study a scalar hyperbolic partial differential equation with non-linear
terms similar to those of the equations of general relativity. The equation has
a number of non-trivial analytical solutions whose existence rely on a delicate
balance between linear and non-linear terms. We formulate two classes of
second-order accurate central-difference schemes, CFLN and MOL, for numerical
integration of this equation. Solutions produced by the schemes converge to
exact solutions at any fixed time when numerical resolution is increased.
However, in certain cases integration becomes asymptotically unstable when
is increased and resolution is kept fixed. This behavior is caused by subtle
changes in the balance between linear and non-linear terms when the equation is
discretized. Changes in the balance occur without violating second-order
accuracy of discretization. We thus demonstrate that a second-order accuracy
and convergence at finite do not guarantee a correct asymptotic behavior
and long-term numerical stability.
Accuracy and stability of integration are greatly improved by an exponential
transformation of the unknown variable.Comment: submitted to Class. Quantum Gra
Detailed Spectral Modeling of a 3-D Pulsating Reverse Detonation Model: Too Much Nickel
We calculate detailed NLTE synthetic spectra of a Pulsating Reverse
Detonation (PRD) model, a novel explosion mechanism for Type Ia supernovae.
While the hydro models are calculated in 3-D, the spectra use an angle averaged
hydro model and thus some of the 3-D details are lost, but the overall average
should be a good representation of the average observed spectra. We study the
model at 3 epochs: maximum light, seven days prior to maximum light, and 5 days
after maximum light. At maximum the defining Si II feature is prominent, but
there is also a prominent C II feature, not usually observed in normal SNe Ia
near maximum. We compare to the early spectrum of SN 2006D which did show a
prominent C II feature, but the fit to the observations is not compelling.
Finally we compare to the post-maximum UV+optical spectrum of SN 1992A. With
the broad spectral coverage it is clear that the iron-peak elements on the
outside of the model push too much flux to the red and thus the particular PRD
realizations studied would be intrinsically far redder than observed SNe Ia. We
briefly discuss variations that could improve future PRD models.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Ap
Flame Evolution During Type Ia Supernovae and the Deflagration Phase in the Gravitationally Confined Detonation Scenario
We develop an improved method for tracking the nuclear flame during the
deflagration phase of a Type Ia supernova, and apply it to study the variation
in outcomes expected from the gravitationally confined detonation (GCD)
paradigm. A simplified 3-stage burning model and a non-static ash state are
integrated with an artificially thickened advection-diffusion-reaction (ADR)
flame front in order to provide an accurate but highly efficient representation
of the energy release and electron capture in and after the unresolvable flame.
We demonstrate that both our ADR and energy release methods do not generate
significant acoustic noise, as has been a problem with previous ADR-based
schemes. We proceed to model aspects of the deflagration, particularly the role
of buoyancy of the hot ash, and find that our methods are reasonably
well-behaved with respect to numerical resolution. We show that if a detonation
occurs in material swept up by the material ejected by the first rising bubble
but gravitationally confined to the white dwarf (WD) surface (the GCD
paradigm), the density structure of the WD at detonation is systematically
correlated with the distance of the deflagration ignition point from the center
of the star. Coupled to a suitably stochastic ignition process, this
correlation may provide a plausible explanation for the variety of nickel
masses seen in Type Ia Supernovae.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, accepted to the Astrophysical Journa
Local Ignition in Carbon/Oxygen White Dwarfs -- I: One-zone Ignition and Spherical Shock Ignition of Detonations
The details of ignition of Type Ia supernovae remain fuzzy, despite the
importance of this input for any large-scale model of the final explosion.
Here, we begin a process of understanding the ignition of these hotspots by
examining the burning of one zone of material, and then investigate the
ignition of a detonation due to rapid heating at single point.
We numerically measure the ignition delay time for onset of burning in
mixtures of degenerate material and provide fitting formula for conditions of
relevance in the Type Ia problem. Using the neon abundance as a proxy for the
white dwarf metallicity, we then find that ignition times can decrease by ~20%
with addition of even 5% of neon by mass. When temperature fluctuations that
successfully kindle a region are very rare, such a reduction in ignition time
can increase the probability of ignition by orders of magnitude. If the neon
comes largely at the expense of carbon, a similar increase in the ignition time
can occur.
We then consider the ignition of a detonation by an explosive energy input in
one localized zone, eg a Sedov blast wave leading to a shock-ignited
detonation. Building on previous work on curved detonations, we find that
surprisingly large inputs of energy are required to successfully launch a
detonation, leading to required matchheads of ~4500 detonation thicknesses -
tens of centimeters to hundreds of meters - which is orders of magnitude larger
than naive considerations might suggest. This is a very difficult constraint to
meet for some pictures of a deflagration-to-detonation transition, such as a
Zel'dovich gradient mechanism ignition in the distributed burning regime.Comment: 29 pages; accepted to ApJ. Comments welcome at
http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~ljdursi/thisweek/ . Updated version addressing
referee comment
Deflagration to Detonation Transition in Thermonuclear Supernovae
We derive the criteria for deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) in a
Type Ia supernova. The theory is based on the two major assumptions: (i)
detonation is triggered via the Zeldovich gradient mechanism inside a region of
mixed fuel and products, (ii) the mixed region is produced by a turbulent
mixing of fuel and products either inside an active deflagration front or
during the global expansion and subsequent contraction of an exploding white
dwarf. We determine the critical size of the mixed region required to initiate
a detonation in a degenerate carbon-oxygen mixture. This critical length is
much larger than the width of the reaction front of a Chapman-Jouguet
detonation. However, at densities greater than simeq 5 x 10^6 g cm^-3, it is
much smaller than the size of a white dwarf. We derive the critical turbulent
intensity required to create the mixed region inside an active deflagration
front in which a detonation can form. We conclude that the density rho_tr at
which a detonation can form in a carbon-oxygem white dwarf is low, less than 2
- 5 x 10^7 g cm^-3, but greater than 5 x 10^6 g cm^-3.Comment: 28 pages, 19 figs, Latex (epsf), submitted to The Astrophysical
Journa
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