Thermonuclear ignition and runaway in type Ia supernovae

Conference · Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences; (USA)

OSTI ID:5544613

Wheeler, J C ^[1]

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1. Florida Univ., Gainesville (USA)

Recent theoretical models of type Ia SN explosions are examined analytically. Qualitatively, the process described involves mass transfer to a C/O white dwarf in a binary system, bringing it near the Chandrasekhar limit and initiating runaway carbon burning. Particular attention is given to (1) carbon ignition and the convective Urca process, which acts to delay runaway, (2) detonation and deflagration models of SN dynamics, and (3) the application of observational data (light curves and spectra) to place limits on dynamical models. It is shown that most deflagration-type models do not give good agreement with spectroscopic observations, while those that do fail to explain density profiles deduced from other observations. Further research on damped-detonation models is recommended. 32 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5544613
• Report Number(s): CONF-8910308-; CODEN: ANYAA
• Journal Information: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences; (USA), Vol. 617; Conference: 5. Florida workshop in nonlinear astronomy, Gainesville, FL (USA), 5-7 Oct 1989; ISSN 0077-8923
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SUPERNOVAE
STAR MODELS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
BINARY STARS
EXPLOSIONS
MASS
MASS TRANSFER
MATTER
STAR BURNING
STAR EVOLUTION
THERMONUCLEAR REACTIONS
WHITE DWARF STARS
DWARF STARS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
STARS
SYNTHESIS
VARIABLE STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources