890 research outputs found
Helium-ignited violent mergers as a unified model for normal and rapidly declining Type Ia Supernovae
The progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are still unknown, despite
significant progress during the last years in theory and observations. Violent
mergers of two carbon--oxygen (CO) white dwarfs (WDs) are one candidate
suggested to be responsible for at least a significant fraction of normal SNe
Ia. Here, we simulate the merger of two CO WDs using a moving-mesh code that
allows for the inclusion of thin helium (He) shells (0.01\,\msun) on top of the
WDs, at an unprecedented numerical resolution. The accretion of He onto the
primary WD leads to the formation of a detonation in its He shell. This
detonation propagates around the CO WD and sends a converging shock wave into
its core, known to robustly trigger a second detonation, as in the well-known
double-detonation scenario for
He-accreting CO WDs. However, in contrast to that scenario where a massive He
shell is required to form a detonation through thermal instability, here the He
detonation is ignited dynamically. Accordingly the required He-shell mass is
significantly smaller, and hence its burning products are unlikely to affect
the optical display of the explosion. We show that this scenario, which works
for CO primary WDs with CO- as well as He-WD companions, has the potential to
explain the different brightness distributions, delay times and relative rates
of normal and fast declining SNe Ia. Finally, we discuss extensions to our
unified merger model needed to obtain a comprehensive picture of the full
observed diversity of SNe Ia.Comment: accepted for publication by ApJL, significant changes to first
version, including addition of merger simulatio
Testing for redshift evolution of Type Ia supernovae using the strongly lensed PS1-10afx at
The light from distant supernovae (SNe) can be magnified through
gravitational lensing when a foreground galaxy is located along the line of
sight. This line-up allows for detailed studies of SNe at high redshift that
otherwise would not be possible. Spectroscopic observations of lensed
high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are of particular interest since they
can be used to test for evolution of their intrinsic properties. The use of SNe
Ia for probing the cosmic expansion history has proven to be an extremely
powerful method for measuring cosmological parameters. However, if systematic
redshift-dependent properties are found, their usefulness for future surveys
could be challenged. We investigate whether the spectroscopic properties of the
strongly lensed and very distant SN Ia PS1-10afx at deviates from the
well-studied populations of normal SNe Ia at nearby or intermediate distance.
We created median spectra from nearby and intermediate-redshift
spectroscopically normal SNe Ia from the literature at -5 and +1 days from
light-curve maximum. We then compared these median spectra to those of
PS1-10afx. We do not find signs of spectral evolution in PS1-10afx. The
observed deviation between PS1-10afx and the median templates are within what
is found for SNe at low- and intermediate-redshift. There is a noticeable broad
feature centred at ~\AA{}, which is present only to a
lesser extent in individual low and intermediate redshift SN Ia spectra. From a
comparison with a recently developed explosion model, we find this feature to
be dominated by iron peak elements, in particular, singly ionized cobalt and
chromium.Comment: accepted for publication in section 4. Extragalactic astronomy of
Astronomy and Astrophysic
Applying the expanding photosphere and standardized candle methods to Type II-Plateau supernovae at cosmologically significant redshifts: the distance to SN 2013eq
Based on optical imaging and spectroscopy of the Type II-Plateau SN 2013eq,
we present a comparative study of commonly used distance determination methods
based on Type II supernovae. The occurrence of SN 2013eq in the Hubble flow (z
= 0.041 +/- 0.001) prompted us to investigate the implications of the
difference between "angular" and "luminosity" distances within the framework of
the expanding photosphere method (EPM) that relies upon a relation between flux
and angular size to yield a distance. Following a re-derivation of the basic
equations of the EPM for SNe at non-negligible redshifts, we conclude that the
EPM results in an angular distance. The observed flux should be converted into
the SN rest frame and the angular size, theta, has to be corrected by a factor
of (1+z)^2. Alternatively, the EPM angular distance can be converted to a
luminosity distance by implementing a modification of the angular size. For SN
2013eq, we find EPM luminosity distances of D_L = 151 +/- 18 Mpc and D_L = 164
+/- 20 Mpc by making use of different sets of dilution factors taken from the
literature. Application of the standardized candle method for Type II-P SNe
results in an independent luminosity distance estimate (D_L = 168 +/- 16 Mpc)
that is consistent with the EPM estimate.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted by A&
Oxygen emission in remnants of thermonuclear supernovae as a probe for their progenitor system
Recent progress in numerical simulations of thermonuclear supernova
explosions brings up a unique opportunity in studying the progenitors of Type
Ia supernovae. Coupling state-of-the-art explosion models with detailed
hydrodynamical simulations of the supernova remnant evolution and the most
up-to-date atomic data for X-ray emission calculations makes it possible to
create realistic synthetic X-ray spectra for the supernova remnant phase.
Comparing such spectra with high quality observations of supernova remnants
could allow to constrain the explosion mechanism and the progenitor of the
supernova. The present study focuses in particular on the oxygen emission line
properties in young supernova remnants, since different explosion scenarios
predict a different amount and distribution of this element. Analysis of the
soft X-ray spectra from supernova remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud and
confrontation with remnant models for different explosion scenarios suggests
that SNR 0509-67.5 could originate from a delayed detonation explosion and SNR
0519-69.0 from an oxygen-rich merger.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS accepte
Constraints on the origin of the first light from SN2014J
We study the very early lightcurve of supernova 2014J (SN 2014J) using the
high-cadence broad-band imaging data obtained by the Kilodegree Extremely
Little Telescope (KELT), which fortuitously observed M 82 around the time of
the explosion, starting more than two months prior to detection, with up to 20
observations per night. These observations are complemented by observations in
two narrow-band filters used in an H survey of nearby galaxies by the
intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) that also captured the first days
of the brightening of the \sn. The evolution of the lightcurves is consistent
with the expected signal from the cooling of shock heated material of large
scale dimensions, \gsim 1 R_{\odot}. This could be due to heated material of
the progenitor, a companion star or pre-existing circumstellar environment,
e.g., in the form of an accretion disk. Structure seen in the lightcurves
during the first days after explosion could also originate from radioactive
material in the outer parts of an exploding white dwarf, as suggested from the
early detection of gamma-rays. The model degeneracy translates into a
systematic uncertainty of days on the estimate of the first light
from SN 2014J.Comment: Accepted by ApJ. Companion paper by Siverd et al, arXiv:1411.415
Type Iax SNe as a few-parameter family
We present direct spectroscopic modeling of five Type Iax supernovae (SNe)
with the one dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer code TARDIS. The
abundance tomography technique is used to map the chemical structure and
physical properties of the SN atmosphere. Through via fitting of multiple
spectral epochs with self-consistent ejecta models, we can then constrain the
location of some elements within the ejecta. The synthetic spectra of the
best-fit models are able to reproduce the flux continuum and the main
absorption features in the whole sample. We find that the mass fractions of
IGEs and IMEs show a decreasing trend toward the outer regions of the
atmospheres using density profiles similar to those of deflagration models in
the literature. Oxygen is the only element, which could be dominant at higher
velocities. The stratified abundance structure contradicts the well-mixed
chemical profiles predicted by pure deflagration models. Based on the derived
densities and abundances, a template model atmosphere is created for the SN Iax
class and compared to the observed spectra. Free parameters are the scaling of
the density profile, the velocity shift of the abundance template, and the peak
luminosity. The results of this test support the idea that all SNe Iax can be
described by a similar internal structure, which argues for a common origin of
this class of explosions.Comment: 21 pages, 7 tables, 16 figures, accepted by MNRA
Three-dimensional simulations of the interaction between Type Ia supernova ejecta and their main sequence companions
The identity of the progenitor systems of SNe Ia is still uncertain. In the
single-degenerate (SD) scenario, the interaction between the SN blast wave and
the outer layers of a main sequence (MS) companion star strips off H-rich
material which is then mixed into the ejecta. Strong contamination of the SN
ejecta with stripped material could lead to a conflict with observations of SNe
Ia. This constrains the SD progenitor model. In this work, our previous
simulations based on simplified progenitor donor stars have been updated by
adopting more realistic progenitor-system models that result from fully
detailed, state-of-the-art binary evolution calculations. We use Eggleton's
stellar evolution code including the optically thick accretion wind model and
the possibility of the effects of accretion disk instabilities to obtain
realistic models of companions for different progenitor systems. The impact of
the SN blast wave on these companion stars is followed in three-dimensional
hydrodynamic simulations employing the SPH code GADGET3. We find that the
stripped masses range from 0.11 to 0.18 M_sun. The kick velocity is between 51
and 105 km/s. We find that the stripped mass and kick velocity depend on the
ratio of the orbital separation to the radius of a companion. They can be
fitted by a power law for a given companion model. However, the structure of
the companion star is also important for the amount of stripped material. With
more realistic companion star models than in previous studies, our simulations
show that the H masses stripped from companions are inconsistent with the best
observational limits (< 0.01 M_sun) derived from nebular spectra. However, a
rigorous forward modeling based on impact simulations with radiation transfer
is required to reliably predict observable signatures of the stripped H and to
conclusively assess the viability of the considered SN Ia progenitor scenario.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication by A&
Type Ia supernovae from exploding oxygen-neon white dwarfs
The progenitor problem of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is still unsolved. Most
of these events are thought to be explosions of carbon-oxygen (CO) white dwarfs
(WDs), but for many of the explosion scenarios, particularly those involving
the externally triggered detonation of a sub-Chandrasekhar mass WD (sub-M Ch
WD), there is also a possibility of having an oxygen-neon (ONe) WD as
progenitor. We simulate detonations of ONe WDs and calculate synthetic
observables from these models. The results are compared with detonations in CO
WDs of similar mass and observational data of SNe Ia. We perform hydrodynamic
explosion simulations of detonations in initially hydrostatic ONe WDs for a
range of masses below the Chandrasekhar mass (M Ch), followed by detailed
nucleosynthetic postprocessing with a 384-isotope nuclear reaction network. The
results are used to calculate synthetic spectra and light curves, which are
then compared with observations of SNe Ia. We also perform binary evolution
calculations to determine the number of SNe Ia involving ONe WDs relative to
the number of other promising progenitor channels. The ejecta structures of our
simulated detonations in sub-M Ch ONe WDs are similar to those from CO WDs.
There are, however, small systematic deviations in the mass fractions and the
ejecta velocities. These lead to spectral features that are systematically less
blueshifted. Nevertheless, the synthetic observables of our ONe WD explosions
are similar to those obtained from CO models. Our binary evolution calculations
show that a significant fraction (3-10%) of potential progenitor systems should
contain an ONe WD. The comparison of our ONe models with our CO models of
comparable mass (1.2 Msun) shows that the less blueshifted spectral features
fit the observations better, although they are too bright for normal SNe Ia.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Deflagrations in hybrid CONe white dwarfs: a route to explain the faint Type Iax supernova 2008ha
Stellar evolution models predict the existence of hybrid white dwarfs (WDs)
with a carbon-oxygen core surrounded by an oxygen-neon mantle. Being born with
masses ~1.1 Msun, hybrid WDs in a binary system may easily approach the
Chandrasekhar mass (MCh) by accretion and give rise to a thermonuclear
explosion. Here, we investigate an off-centre deflagration in a near-MCh hybrid
WD under the assumption that nuclear burning only occurs in carbon-rich
material. Performing hydrodynamics simulations of the explosion and detailed
nucleosynthesis post-processing calculations, we find that only 0.014 Msun of
material is ejected while the remainder of the mass stays bound. The ejecta
consist predominantly of iron-group elements, O, C, Si and S. We also calculate
synthetic observables for our model and find reasonable agreement with the
faint Type Iax SN 2008ha. This shows for the first time that deflagrations in
near-MCh WDs can in principle explain the observed diversity of Type Iax
supernovae. Leaving behind a near-MCh bound remnant opens the possibility for
recurrent explosions or a subsequent accretion-induced collapse in faint Type
Iax SNe, if further accretion episodes occur. From binary population synthesis
calculations, we find the rate of hybrid WDs approaching MCh to be on the order
of 1 percent of the Galactic SN Ia rate.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA
The peculiar Type Ia supernova iPTF14atg: Chandrasekhar-mass explosion or violent merger?
iPTF14atg, a subluminous peculiar Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) similar to SN
2002es, is the first SN Ia for which a strong UV flash was observed in the
early-time light curves. This has been interpreted as evidence for a
single-degenerate (SD) progenitor system where such a signal is expected from
interactions between the SN ejecta and the non-degenerate companion star. Here,
we compare synthetic observables of multi-dimensional state-of-the-art
explosion models for different progenitor scenarios to the light curves and
spectra of iPTF14atg. From our models, we have difficulties explaining the
spectral evolution of iPTF14atg within the SD progenitor channel. In contrast,
we find that a violent merger of two carbon-oxygen white dwarfs with 0.9 and
0.76 solar masses, respectively, provides an excellent match to the spectral
evolution of iPTF14atg from 10d before to several weeks after maximum light.
Our merger model does not naturally explain the initial UV flash of iPTF14atg.
We discuss several possibilities like interactions of the SN ejecta with the
circum-stellar medium and surface radioactivity from a He ignited merger that
may be able to account for the early UV emission in violent merger models.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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