Fate of accreting white dwarfs: Type I supernovae vs collapse
The final fate of accreting C + O white dwarfs is either thermonuclear explosion or collapse, if the white dwarf mass grows to the Chandrasekhar mass. We discuss how the fate depends on the initial mass, age, composition of the white dwarf and the mass accretion rate. Relatively fast accretion leads to a carbon deflagration at low central density that gives rise to a Type Ia supernova. Slower accretion induces a helium detonation that could be observed as a Type Ib supernova. If the initial mass of the C + O white dwarf is larger than 1.2 Msub solar, a carbon deflagration starts at high central density and induces a collapse of the white dwarf to form a neutron star. We examine the critical condition for which a carbon deflagration leads to collapse, not explosion. For the case of explosion, we discuss to what extent the nucleosynthesis models are consistent with spectra of Type Ia and Ib supernovae. 61 refs., 18 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA). Physics Dept.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 5266803
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-38509; CONF-8604236-2; ON: DE86015949
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Early universe and its evolution conference, Erice, Italy, 3 Apr 1986; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Axisymmetric general relativistic simulations of the accretion-induced collapse of white dwarfs
SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR WHITE DWARF MERGERS AS THE PROGENITORS OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE
Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
WHITE DWARF STARS
STAR ACCRETION
CARBON
CARBON BURNING
NEUTRON STARS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
OXYGEN
SUPERNOVAE
DWARF STARS
ELEMENTS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
NONMETALS
STAR BURNING
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
SYNTHESIS
VARIABLE STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
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