Hydrogen as a test of type Ia supernova progenitor models

Journal Article · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167400· OSTI ID:5629631

Applegate, J H; Terman, J L

If type Ia supernovae are produced by the explosion of a white dwarf accreting matter from a hydrogen-rich companion, the material stripped and ablated from the companion during the explosion will contaminate the supernova spectrum with hydrogen. The amount of material stripped and ablated from the companion is calculated, showing that a hydrogen mass fraction of at least X(H) greater than 0.01 should exist in type Ia supernovae if their progenitors are cataclysmic variable-like systems. This amount of hydrogen is barely consistent with current upper limits, but the inhomogeneous distribution of the hydrogenin the ejecta must be taken into account before detailed comparisons can be made. White dwarfs accreting from Roche lobe-filling red giants can probably be ruled out as SN Ia progenitors because they contaminate the spectrum with too much hydrogen. 11 refs.

• Research Organization: Columbia Univ., New York, NY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5629631
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 340
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SUPERNOVAE
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ABLATION
BINARY STARS
CLASSIFICATION
HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY
HYDROGEN
MASS
ROCHE EQUIPOTENTIALS
SPECTRA
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
WHITE DWARF STARS
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