Evidence for Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernovae from an Extensive Survey of Radiative Transfer Models
Abstract
There exists two classes of viable progenitors for normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia): systems in which a white dwarf explodes at the Chandrasekhar mass ($${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$$), and systems in which a white dwarf explodes below the Chandrasekhar mass (sub-$${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$$). It is not clear which of these channels is dominant; observations and light-curve modeling have provided evidence for both. In this work we use an extensive grid of 4500 time-dependent, multiwavelength radiation transport simulations to show that the sub-$${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$$ model can reproduce the entirety of the width–luminosity relation, while the $${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$$ model can only produce the brighter events $$(0.8\lt {\rm{\Delta }}{M}_{15}(B)\lt 1.55)$$, implying that fast-declining SNe Ia come from sub-$${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$$ explosions. We do not assume a particular theoretical paradigm for the progenitor or explosion mechanism, but instead construct parameterized models that vary the mass, kinetic energy, and compositional structure of the ejecta, thereby realizing a broad range of possible outcomes of white dwarf explosions. We provide fitting functions based on our large grid of detailed simulations that map observable properties of SNe Ia, such as peak brightness and light-curve width, to physical parameters such as $${}^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$$ and total ejected mass. These can be used to estimate the physical properties of observed SNe Ia.
- Authors:
-
[1];
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP) (SC-26)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1524170
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; SC0017616; SC0018297
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal. Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 852; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8213
- Publisher:
- Institute of Physics (IOP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Goldstein, Daniel A., and Kasen, Daniel. Evidence for Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernovae from an Extensive Survey of Radiative Transfer Models. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaa409.
Goldstein, Daniel A., & Kasen, Daniel. Evidence for Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernovae from an Extensive Survey of Radiative Transfer Models. United States. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaa409.
Goldstein, Daniel A., and Kasen, Daniel. Fri .
"Evidence for Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernovae from an Extensive Survey of Radiative Transfer Models". United States. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaa409. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1524170.
@article{osti_1524170,
title = {Evidence for Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernovae from an Extensive Survey of Radiative Transfer Models},
author = {Goldstein, Daniel A. and Kasen, Daniel},
abstractNote = {There exists two classes of viable progenitors for normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia): systems in which a white dwarf explodes at the Chandrasekhar mass (${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$), and systems in which a white dwarf explodes below the Chandrasekhar mass (sub-${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$). It is not clear which of these channels is dominant; observations and light-curve modeling have provided evidence for both. In this work we use an extensive grid of 4500 time-dependent, multiwavelength radiation transport simulations to show that the sub-${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$ model can reproduce the entirety of the width–luminosity relation, while the ${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$ model can only produce the brighter events $(0.8\lt {\rm{\Delta }}{M}_{15}(B)\lt 1.55)$, implying that fast-declining SNe Ia come from sub-${M}_{\mathrm{ch}}$ explosions. We do not assume a particular theoretical paradigm for the progenitor or explosion mechanism, but instead construct parameterized models that vary the mass, kinetic energy, and compositional structure of the ejecta, thereby realizing a broad range of possible outcomes of white dwarf explosions. We provide fitting functions based on our large grid of detailed simulations that map observable properties of SNe Ia, such as peak brightness and light-curve width, to physical parameters such as ${}^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ and total ejected mass. These can be used to estimate the physical properties of observed SNe Ia.},
doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aaa409},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal. Letters},
issn = {2041-8213},
number = 2,
volume = 852,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {1}
}
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Figures / Tables:
Table 1: Model Parameters and Assumptions
Figures / Tables found in this record: