604 research outputs found
On variations of the brightness of type Ia supernovae with the age of the host stellar population
Recent observational studies of type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) suggest
correlations between the peak brightness of an event and the age of the
progenitor stellar population. This trend likely follows from properties of the
progenitor white dwarf (WD), such as central density, that follow from
properties of the host stellar population. We present a statistically
well-controlled, systematic study utilizing a suite of multi-dimensional SNeIa
simulations investigating the influence of central density of the progenitor WD
on the production of Fe-group material, particularly radioactive Ni-56, which
powers the light curve. We find that on average, as the progenitor's central
density increases, production of Fe-group material does not change but
production of Ni-56 decreases. We attribute this result to a higher rate of
neutronization at higher density. The central density of the progenitor is
determined by the mass of the WD and the cooling time prior to the onset of
mass transfer from the companion, as well as the subsequent accretion heating
and neutrino losses. The dependence of this density on cooling time, combined
with the result of our central density study, offers an explanation for the
observed age-luminosity correlation: a longer cooling time raises the central
density at ignition thereby producing less Ni-56 and thus a dimmer event. While
our ensemble of results demonstrates a significant trend, we find considerable
variation between realizations, indicating the necessity for averaging over an
ensemble of simulations to demonstrate a statistically significant result.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted to ApJ
On Silicon Group Elements Ejected by Supernovae Type Ia
There is compelling evidence that the peak brightness of a Type Ia supernova
is affected by the electron fraction Ye at the time of the explosion. The
electron fraction is set by the aboriginal composition of the white dwarf and
the reactions that occur during the pre explosive convective burning. To date,
determining the makeup of the white dwarf progenitor has relied on indirect
proxies, such as the average metallicity of the host stellar population. In
this paper, we present analytical calculations supporting the idea that the
electron fraction of the progenitor systematically influences the
nucleosynthesis of silicon group ejecta in Type Ia supernovae. In particular,
we suggest the abundances generated in quasi nuclear statistical equilibrium
are preserved during the subsequent freezeout. This allows one to potential
recovery of Ye at explosion from the abundances recovered from an observed
spectra. We show that measurement of 28Si, 32S, 40Ca, and 54Fe abundances can
be used to construct Ye in the silicon rich regions of the supernovae. If these
four abundances are determined exactly, they are sufficient to recover Ye to 6
percent. This is because these isotopes dominate the composition of
silicon-rich material and iron rich material in quasi nuclear statistical
equilibrium. Analytical analysis shows that the 28Si abundance is insensitive
to Ye, the 32S abundance has a nearly linear trend with Ye, and the 40Ca
abundance has a nearly quadratic trend with Ye. We verify these trends with
post-processing of 1D models and show that these trends are reflected in model
synthetic spectra.Comment: Submitted to the Ap
Evaluating Systematic Dependencies of Type Ia Supernovae: The Influence of Deflagration to Detonation Density
We explore the effects of the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT)
density on the production of Ni-56 in thermonuclear supernova explosions (type
Ia supernovae). Within the DDT paradigm, the transition density sets the amount
of expansion during the deflagration phase of the explosion and therefore the
amount of nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) material produced. We employ a
theoretical framework for a well-controlled statistical study of
two-dimensional simulations of thermonuclear supernovae with randomized initial
conditions that can, with a particular choice of transition density, produce a
similar average and range of Ni-56 masses to those inferred from observations.
Within this framework, we utilize a more realistic "simmered" white dwarf
progenitor model with a flame model and energetics scheme to calculate the
amount of Ni-56 and NSE material synthesized for a suite of simulated
explosions in which the transition density is varied in the range 1-3x10^7
g/cc. We find a quadratic dependence of the NSE yield on the log of the
transition density, which is determined by the competition between plume rise
and stellar expansion. By considering the effect of metallicity on the
transition density, we find the NSE yield decreases by 0.055 +/- 0.004 solar
masses for a 1 solar metallicity increase evaluated about solar metallicity.
For the same change in metallicity, this result translates to a 0.067 +/- 0.004
solar mass decrease in the Ni-56 yield, slightly stronger than that due to the
variation in electron fraction from the initial composition. Observations
testing the dependence of the yield on metallicity remain somewhat ambiguous,
but the dependence we find is comparable to that inferred from some studies.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted to ApJ on July 6, 201
Classical Novae as a Probe of the Cataclysmic Variable Population
Classical Novae (CNe) are the brightest manifestation of mass transfer onto a
white dwarf in a cataclysmic variable (CV). As such, they are probes of the
mass transfer rate, Mdot, and WD mass, Mwd, in these interacting binaries. Our
calculations of the dependence of the CN ignition mass, Mign, on Mdot and Mwd
yields the recurrence times of these explosions. We show that the observed CNe
orbital period distribution is consistent with the interrupted magnetic braking
evolutionary scenario, where at orbital periods Porb > 3 hr mass transfer is
driven by angular momentum loss via a wind from the companion star and at Porb
< 3 hr by gravitational radiation. About 50% of CNe occur in binaries accreting
at Mdot ~= 10^{-9} Msun/yr with Porb = 3-4 hr, with the remaining 50% split
evenly between Porb longer (higher Mdot) and shorter (lower Mdot) than this.
This resolution of the relative contribution to the CN rate from different CVs
tells us that 3(9)x10^5 CVs with WD mass 1.0(0.6)Msun are needed to produce one
CN per year. Using the K-band specific CN rate measured in external galaxies,
we find a CV birthrate of 2(4)x10^{-4}/yr per 10^{10}Lsun,K, very similar to
the luminosity specific Type Ia supernova rate in elliptical galaxies.
Likewise, we predict that there should be 60-180 CVs for every 10^6Lsun,K in an
old stellar population, similar to the number of X-ray identified CVs in the
globular cluster 47 Tuc, showing no overabundance relative to the field. Using
a two-component steady state model of CV evolution we show that the fraction of
CVs which are magnetic (22%) implies a birthrate of 8% relative to non-magnetic
CVs, similar to the fraction of strongly magnetic field WDs. (abridged)Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, Accepted to the Astrophysical Journa
The CHANDRA HETGS X-ray Grating Spectrum of Eta Car
Eta Car may be the most massive and luminous star in the Galaxy and is
suspected to be a massive, colliding wind binary system. The CHANDRA X-ray
observatory has obtained a calibrated, high-resolution X-ray spectrum of the
star uncontaminated by the nearby extended soft X-ray emisssion. Our 89 ksec
CHANDRA observation with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer
(HETGS) shows that the hot gas near the star is non-isothermal. The temperature
distribution may represent the emission on either side of the colliding wind
bow shock, effectively ``resolving'' the shock. If so, the pre-shock wind
velocities are ~ 700 and ~ 1800 km/s in our analysis, and these velocities may
be interpreted as the terminal velocities of the winds from Eta Car and from
the hidden companion star. The forbidden-to-intercombination (f/i) line ratios
for the He-like ions of S, Si and Fe are large, indicating that the line
forming region lies far from the stellar photosphere. The iron fluorescent line
at 1.93 Angstrom, first detected by ASCA, is clearly resolved from the thermal
iron line in the CHANDRA grating spectrum. The Fe fluorescent line is weaker in
our CHANDRA observation than in any of the ASCA spectra. The CHANDRA
observation also provides an uninterrupted high-time resolution lightcurve of
the stellar X-ray emission from Eta Car and suggests that there was no
significant, coherent variability during the CHANDRA observation. The Eta Car
CHANDRA grating spectrum is unlike recently published X-ray grating spectra of
single massive stars in significant ways and is generally consistent with
colliding wind emission in a massive binary.Comment: revised after comments from referee and includes a new variability
analysis, taking into account the effects of CCD pileu
X-ray emission from the double-binary OB-star system QZ Car (HD 93206)
X-ray observations of the double-binary OB-star system QZ Car (HD 93206)
obtained with the Chandra X-ray Observatory over a period of roughly 2 years
are presented. The orbit of systems A (O9.7 I+b2 v, PA = 21 d) and B (O8 III+o9
v, PB = 6 d) are reasonably well sampled by the observations, allowing the
origin of the X-ray emission to be examined in detail. The X-ray spectra can be
well fitted by an attenuated three temperature thermal plasma model,
characterised by cool, moderate, and hot plasma components at kT ~ 0.2, 0.7,
and 2 keV, respectively, and a circumstellar absorption of ~ 0.2 x 10^22 cm-2.
Although the hot plasma component could be indicating the presence of wind-wind
collision shocks in the system, the model fluxes calculated from spectral fits,
with an average value of ~ 7 x 10^-13 erg s-1 cm-2, do not show a clear
correlation with the orbits of the two constituent binaries. A semi-analytical
model of QZ Car reveals that a stable momentum balance may not be established
in either system A or B. Yet, despite this, system B is expected to produce an
observed X-ray flux well in excess of the observations. If one considers the
wind of the O8 III star to be disrupted by mass transfer the model and
observations are in far better agreement, which lends support to the previous
suggestion of mass-transfer in the O8 III + o9 v binary. We conclude that the
X-ray emission from QZ Car can be reasonably well accounted for by a
combination of contributions mainly from the single stars and the mutual
wind-wind collision between systems A and B.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for the ApJS Special Issue on the
Chandra Carina Complex Project (CCCP), scheduled for publication in May 2011.
All 16 CCCP Special Issue papers are available at
http://cochise.astro.psu.edu/Carina_public/special_issue.html through 2011 at
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