Double-detonation supernovae of sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs

By M. Fink, W. Hillebrandt, Friedrich K. Röpke. 2007

183 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Type Ia supernovae are believed to be white dwarfs disrupted by a thermonuclear explosion. Here we investigate the scenario in which a rather low-mass, carbon-oxygen (C + O) white dwarf accumulates helium on its surface in a sufficient amount for igniting a detonation in the helium shell before the Chandrasekhar mass is reached. In principle, this can happen on white dwarfs accreting from a non-degenerate companion or by merging a C + O white dwarf with a low-mass helium one. In this scenario, the helium detonation is thought to trigger a secondary detonation in the C + O core. It is therefore called the “double-detonation sub-Chandrasekhar” supernova model. By means of a set of numerical simulations, we investigate the robustness of this explosion mechanism for generic 1-M� models and analyze its observable predictions. Also a resolution dependence in numerical simulations is analyzed. Hydrodynamic simulations of the double-detonation sub-Chandrasekhar scenario are conducted in two and three spatial dimensions. The propagation of thermonuclear detonation fronts, both in helium and in the carbon-oxygen mixture, is computed by means of both a level-set function and a simplified description for nuclear reactions. The decision whether a secondary detonation is triggered in the white dwarf’s core or not is made based on criteria given in the literature. In a parameter study involving different initial flame geometries − − − [ � ] ] −

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/18b6c173787bf40012d82c556c0ded1bc153cb52

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Astronomy and Astrophysics

Citations in the corpus

SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR MASS MODELS FOR SUPERNOVAE (2010, background): “More recently, multi-dimensional studies (Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Sim et al. 2010; Kromer et al. 2010) have explored combined helium and carbon detonations in some depth.”
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL DELAYED DETONATION MODELS OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS (2010, methodology): “For the progenitor, the Chandrasekhar-mass (MCh) WD model has been favored for a majority of SNe Ia (e.g., Höflich & Khokhlov 1996; Nugent et al. 1997; Fink et al. 2007; Mazzali et al. 2007).”
Hot Subdwarf Stars (2009, unknown): “In consequence, the mass of the exploding WD may be lower than the Chandrasekhar limit and the resulting SN Ia fainter (Fink et al., 2007).”
Three Hypervelocity White Dwarfs in Gaia DR2: Evidence for Dynamically Driven Double-degenerate Double-detonation Type Ia Supernovae (2018, background): “…for helium single degenerates (Nomoto 1982b; Woosley et al. 1986) and for double degenerates that undergo either stable (Bildsten et al. 2007; Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Shen & Bildsten 2009) or unstable mass transfer (Guillochon et al. 2010; Dan et al. 2011; Raskin et al. 2012; Pakmor et al.…”
Three-dimensional delayed-detonation models with nucleosynthesis for Type Ia supernovae (2012, background): “…double detonation He-accretion channel (e.g. Livne 1990; Livne & Glasner 1990; Woosley & Weaver 1994; Höflich & Khokhlov 1996; Nugent et al. 1997; Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Kromer et al. 2010; Woosley et al. 2011) and increasing support from theorists for the double degenerate channel (Gilfanov &…”
SURFACE DETONATIONS IN DOUBLE DEGENERATE BINARY SYSTEMS TRIGGERED BY ACCRETION STREAM INSTABILITIES (2009, background): “Fink et al. (2007) (hereafter FHR) show that when 0.1M⊙ of helium is ignited at the He/CO interface of a moderatemass WD, strong shocks are launched deep into the CO core, which converge at a focusing point.”
Observational Predictions for Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Explosions: Further Evidence for Multiple Progenitor Systems for Type Ia Supernovae (2018, methodology): “Previous studies in both two (Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Moll & Woosley 2013) and three dimensions (Moll & Woosley 2013; Garćıa-Senz et al. 2018) have shown that double detonation ignitions still occur robustly when multidimensional effects and multiple helium ignitions are considered.”
HELIUM-IGNITED VIOLENT MERGERS AS A UNIFIED MODEL FOR NORMAL AND RAPIDLY DECLINING TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE (2013, background): “From two- and three-dimensional simulations sub-Chandrasekharmass explosions (Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Moll & Woosley 2013), we know that such a converging shock inevitably leads to the formation of a subsequent C detonation.”
Sub-Chandrasekhar-mass White Dwarf Detonations Revisited (2017, background): “In the converging shock variant of the double detonation, a helium shell detonation propagates around the WD’s surface and launches an oblique shock into the core that focuses its energy near the center and ignites the carbon detonation (Livne 1990; Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Shen & Bildsten 2014).”
THE LONG-TERM EVOLUTION OF DOUBLE WHITE DWARF MERGERS (2011, background): “The double detonation scenario has received more attention recently due to the prediction of He detonations in pre-AM CVn systems (Bildsten et al. 2007; Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Shen & Bildsten 2009; Shen et al. 2010; Sim et al. 2010; Woosley & Kasen 2011).”
DOUBLE-DETONATION SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR SUPERNOVAE: SYNTHETIC OBSERVABLES FOR MINIMUM HELIUM SHELL MASS MODELS (2010, background): “In that scenario, a helium-accreting C/O WD explodes below MCh due to a detonation in the accreted helium shell which triggers a secondary core detonation by compressional heating (Woosley & Weaver 1994; Livne & Arnett 1995; Fink et al. 2007).”
Production of dust by massive stars at high redshift (2011, background): “…favoured; (i) a single-degenerate model where a main sequence or giant companion star transfers mass by Roche lobe overflow (Whelan and Iben, 1973; Fink et al, 2007) and (ii) a double degenerate model where the companion star is also a white dwarf and the two objects merge (Iben and Tutukov,…”
NORMAL TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE FROM VIOLENT MERGERS OF WHITE DWARF BINARIES (2012, background): “In thesingle degenerate scenario (Whelan & Iben 1973) a carbon-oxygen white dwarf accretes from a nondegenerate companion star until it reaches the Chandrasekhrmass and explodes (but note that an explosion before reaching the Chandrasekhar mass may also be possible, e.g. Fink et al. 2007, 2010).”
Violent mergers of nearly equal-mass white dwarf as progenitors of subluminous Type Ia supernovae (2011, background): “Note that a thermonuclear explosion may also be possible before the white dwarf reaches the Chandrasekhar-mass if the carbonoxygen white dwarf accretes helium from a non-degenerate or white dwarf companion (Fink et al. 2007, 2010; Sim et al. 2010; Guillochon et al. 2010).”
DETONATIONS IN SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR-MASS C+O WHITE DWARFS (2010, background): “Subsequent compression of the core by inward propagating shocks may produce a secondary carbon detonation which explodes the WD (e.g. Woosley & Weaver 1986; Fink et al. 2007).”