Constraining the Type Ia Supernova Progenitor: The Search for Hydrogen in Nebular Spectra

By D. Leonard. 2006

163 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Despite intense scrutiny, the progenitor system(s) that gives rise to Type Ia supernovae remains unknown. The favored theory invokes a carbon-oxygen white dwarf accreting hydrogen-rich material from a close companion until a thermonuclear runaway ensues that incinerates the white dwarf. However, simulations resulting from this single-degenerate, binary channel demand the presence of low-velocity Hα emission in spectra taken during the late nebular phase, since a portion of the companion's envelope becomes entrained in the ejecta. This hydrogen has never been detected, but has only rarely been sought. Here we present results from a campaign to obtain deep, nebular-phase spectroscopy of nearby Type Ia supernovae, and include multiepoch observations of two events: SN 2005am (slightly subluminous) and SN 2005cf (normally bright). No Hα emission is detected in the spectra of either object. An upper limit of 0.01 M☉ of solar abundance material in the ejecta is established from the models of Mattila et al., which, when coupled with the mass-stripping simulations of Marietta et al. and Meng et al., effectively rules out progenitor systems for these supernovae with secondaries close enough to the white dwarf to be experiencing Roche lobe overflow at the time of explosion. Alternative explanations for the absence of Hα emission, along with suggestions for future investigations necessary to confidently exclude them as possibilities, are critically evaluated.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/955417f7f5be71b8c651cbef0806109e94c2d70d

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. D. Maoz
2. F. Mannucci
3. D. Kasen
4. Rüdiger Pakmor
5. G. Nelemans
6. N. Smith
7. M. Kromer
8. A. Filippenko

Citations in the corpus

• Observational Clues to the Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae (2013, background): “Mattila et al. (2005), Leonard (2007), and Lundqvist et al. (2013) have used high signal-to-noise nebular spectra of five SNe Ia to set upper limits on the presence of any Hα emission.”
• VARIABLE SODIUM ABSORPTION IN A LOW-EXTINCTION TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA, (2009, background): “If we follow the calculations of Leonard (2007), such a luminosity corresponds to ∼ 0.025 M⊙ of solarabundance material in the circumstellar environment, in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions (Marietta, Burrows, & Fryxell 2000; Mattila et al. 2005; Pakmor et al. 2008).”
• The Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae (2008, result): “This conclusion is also consistent with the observational lack of hydrogen in the late-time ejecta of SNe Ia (Leonard 2007).”
• SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR WHITE DWARF MERGERS AS THE PROGENITORS OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE (2010, background): “Hydrogen is absent (Leonard 2007), inconsistent with expectations fora hydrogen-rich progenitor companion with a strong wind or easily entrained envelope.”
• HELIUM-IGNITED VIOLENT MERGERS AS A UNIFIED MODEL FOR NORMAL AND RAPIDLY DECLINING TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE (2013, background): “…SN Ia 2011fe did not show any signs of a companion star (Li et al. 2011; Bloom et al. 2012), nor any signature of hydrogen in nebular spectra (Shappee et al. 2013) which is expected in the single-degenerate scenario owing to material stripped from the companion (Marietta et al. 2000; Leonard 2007).”
• Theoretical uncertainties of the Type Ia supernova rate (2014, background): “Moreover, during the supernova explosion some of the material from the donor star is expected to be mixed with the ejecta, which has never been conclusively observed (Leonard 2007; Garcı́a-Senz et al. 2012).”
• Sub-Chandrasekhar-mass White Dwarf Detonations Revisited (2017, background): “…and observational work have increased persisting doubts that the Chandrasekhar-mass (MCh) scenario is responsible for the bulk of SNe Ia (e.g., Leonard 2007; Shen & Bildsten 2007; Kerzendorf et al. 2009; Ruiter et al. 2009; Kasen 2010; Bloom et al. 2012; Schaefer & Pagnotta 2012; Woods &…”
• EVLA OBSERVATIONS CONSTRAIN THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROGENITOR SYSTEM OF Type Ia SUPERNOVA 2011fe (2012, background): “Deep limits have been placed on the presence of such emission, implying that 0.01 M⊙ of hydrogen-rich material is swept from a companion star, and presenting a challenge to progenitor scenarios where the companion is filling its Roche lobe (Leonard 2007).”
• Delay Time Distribution Measurement of Type Ia Supernovae by the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey and Implications for the Progenitor (2008, unknown): “…the progenitor from studies of SN Ia remnants (Ruiz-Lapuente et al. 2004; Badenes et al. 2007; Ihara et al. 2007), or from spectroscopic studies (Leonard 2007; Patat et al. 2007a, b; Simon et al. 2007) and archival progenitor searches (Voss & Nelemans 2008; Nelemans et al. 2008; Roelofs et al.…”
• 3D deflagration simulations leaving bound remnants: a model for 2002cx-like Type Ia supernovae (2012, background): “One problem of single-degenerate progenitor models discussed in the literature is that of the non-detection of hydrogen lines in the observed (nebular) spectra of SNe Ia (e.g. Leonard 2007).”
• SEEING THE COLLISION OF A SUPERNOVA WITH ITS COMPANION STAR (2009, background): “Meanwhile, several attempts to look for evidence of stripped hydrogen in the spectra of SNe Ia have detected nothing (Mattila et al. 2005; Leonard 2007).”
• Three Hypervelocity White Dwarfs in Gaia DR2: Evidence for Dynamically Driven Double-degenerate Double-detonation Type Ia Supernovae (2018, background): “…which may not be surprising given other mounting evidence that single degenerate scenarios cannot be responsible for the bulk of SNe Ia (e.g., Leonard 2007; Kasen 2010; Gilfanov & Bogdán 2010; Li et al. 2011b; Bloom et al. 2012; Olling et al. 2015; Maguire et al. 2016; Woods et al. 2017).”
• A COMPACT DEGENERATE PRIMARY-STAR PROGENITOR OF SN 2011fe (2011, background): “The evidence is (1) neither hydrogen nor helium is seen in SNe Ia (Leonard 2007), and few astrophysical objects lack these elements, (2) the elements synthesized in SN Ia are consistent with the fusion chain leading from carbon going up to the iron peak, (3) degenerate objects can result in…”
• NORMAL TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE FROM VIOLENT MERGERS OF WHITE DWARF BINARIES (2012, background): “…Maoz et al. 2010), the lack of radio emission of SNe Ia (e.g. Hancock et al. 2011), the lack of hydrogen emission in nebular spectra of SNe Ia (Leonard 2007), the lack of X-ray emission in elliptical galaxies (Gilfanov & Bogdán 2010) and studies of SN Ia remnants (e.g. Badenes et al. 2007)…”
• On the Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae (2018, unknown): “Searches for hydrogen in a few normal SNe Ia have not detected any, with an upper limit on the hydrogen mass of 0.01–0.03 M (e.g., Leonard 2007; Lundqvist et al. 2013).”