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Title: Relativistically-Compressed Exploding White-Dwarf Model for Sgr A East

Abstract

Recently, a new mechanism for Type I supernovae has been proposed whereby relativistic terms enhance the self gravity of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf as it passes near a black hole. It was suggested but not confirmed that this relativistic compression can cause the central density to exceed the threshold for pycnonuclear reactions so that a thermonuclear runaway ensues. Here, we present numerical studies of such relativistically induced explosions of white dwarfs and red giant cores of various mass (particularly a typical 0.6 M{sub {circle_dot}} white dwarf) as they pass near a 3.7 x 10{sup 6} black hole like Sgr A* in the Galactic center. We confirm by hydrodynamic thermonuclear burn simulations in three spatial dimensions that white dwarfs and red giant cores do indeed ignite and explode. In fact they seem to explode even farther from the black hole than earlier estimates due to increased internal temperatures from adiabatic heating as the stars are compressed. We find that the compression is sufficiently fast that red giant cores, or young (< 10{sup 8} yr) white dwarfs can even be heated to thermonuclear rather than pychnonuclear ignition. We propose that such an event might explain the observed ''mixed-morphology'' Sgr A East supernovamore » remnant in the Galactic center.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
US Department of Energy (US)
OSTI Identifier:
15016435
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JRNL-208008
Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X; ASJOAB; TRN: US200513%%498
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 629; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Published in August 10, 2005; PBD: 10 Nov 2004; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; 99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE; BLACK HOLES; COMPRESSION; DIMENSIONS; EXPLOSIONS; HEATING; HYDRODYNAMICS; IGNITION; STARS; SUPERNOVA REMNANTS; SUPERNOVAE

Citation Formats

Dearborn, D P, Wilson, J R, and Mathews, G J. Relativistically-Compressed Exploding White-Dwarf Model for Sgr A East. United States: N. p., 2004. Web. doi:10.1086/431200.
Dearborn, D P, Wilson, J R, & Mathews, G J. Relativistically-Compressed Exploding White-Dwarf Model for Sgr A East. United States. https://doi.org/10.1086/431200
Dearborn, D P, Wilson, J R, and Mathews, G J. 2004. "Relativistically-Compressed Exploding White-Dwarf Model for Sgr A East". United States. https://doi.org/10.1086/431200. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/15016435.
@article{osti_15016435,
title = {Relativistically-Compressed Exploding White-Dwarf Model for Sgr A East},
author = {Dearborn, D P and Wilson, J R and Mathews, G J},
abstractNote = {Recently, a new mechanism for Type I supernovae has been proposed whereby relativistic terms enhance the self gravity of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf as it passes near a black hole. It was suggested but not confirmed that this relativistic compression can cause the central density to exceed the threshold for pycnonuclear reactions so that a thermonuclear runaway ensues. Here, we present numerical studies of such relativistically induced explosions of white dwarfs and red giant cores of various mass (particularly a typical 0.6 M{sub {circle_dot}} white dwarf) as they pass near a 3.7 x 10{sup 6} black hole like Sgr A* in the Galactic center. We confirm by hydrodynamic thermonuclear burn simulations in three spatial dimensions that white dwarfs and red giant cores do indeed ignite and explode. In fact they seem to explode even farther from the black hole than earlier estimates due to increased internal temperatures from adiabatic heating as the stars are compressed. We find that the compression is sufficiently fast that red giant cores, or young (< 10{sup 8} yr) white dwarfs can even be heated to thermonuclear rather than pychnonuclear ignition. We propose that such an event might explain the observed ''mixed-morphology'' Sgr A East supernova remnant in the Galactic center.},
doi = {10.1086/431200},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/15016435}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 629,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Nov 10 00:00:00 EST 2004},
month = {Wed Nov 10 00:00:00 EST 2004}
}

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