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Title: Resolution Study of Thermonuclear Initiation in White Dwarf Tidal Disruption Events

Journal Article · · The Astrophysical Journal
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Abstract We study the initiation of thermonuclear detonations in tidally disrupted white dwarf stars by intermediate-mass (10 3 M ⊙ ) black holes. The length scales required to resolve the initiation mechanism are not easily reached in 3D, so instead we have devised 2D proxy models, which, together with a logarithmic gridding strategy, can adequately capture detonation wave fronts as material undergoes simultaneous compression and stretching from tidal forces. We consider 0.15 and 0.6 M ⊙ white dwarf stars parameterized by tidal strengths in the range β = 4–23. High spatial resolution elucidates the manner and conditions leading to thermonuclear detonation, linking the initiation sequence to stellar composition and tidal strength. All of our models suffer sustained detonations triggered by a combination of adiabatic compression, mild thermonuclear preconditioning, and collisional heating, in degrees depending primarily on tidal strength. We find that many diagnostics, such as temperature, total released energy, and iron-group products, are fairly well converged (better than 10%) at resolutions below 10 km along the scale height of the orbital plane. The exceptions are intermediate-mass transients like calcium, which remain uncertain up to factors of 2, even at 1 km resolution.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1879588
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-834758
Journal Information:
The Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 934; ISSN 0004-637X
Publisher:
American Astronomical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
astrophysical black holes
astrophysical explosive burning
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black hole physics
black holes
explosive nucleosynthesis
hydrodynamics
radiative magnetohydrodynamics
supermassive black holes
white dwarf stars