Accreting white dwarfs as supersoft X‐ray sources

I review various phenomena associated with mass‐accreting white dwarfs (WDs) in the view of supersoft X‐ray sources. When the mass‐accretion rate is low (Ṁ_acc < a few × 10^–7 M⊙yr^–1), hydrogen nuclear burning is unstable and nova outbursts occur. A nova is a transient supersoft X‐ray source (SSS) in its later phase which timescale depends strongly on the WD mass. The X‐ray turn on/off time is a good indicator of the WD mass. At an intermediate mass‐accretion rate an accreting WD becomes a persistent SSS with steady hydrogen burning. For a higher mass‐accretion rate, the WD undergoes “accretion wind evolution” in which the WD accretes matter from the equatorial plane and loses mass by optically thick winds from the other directions. Two SSS, namely RX J0513‐6951 and V Sge, are corresponding objects to this accretion wind evolution. We can specify mass increasing WDs from light‐curve analysis based on the optically thick wind theory using multiwavelength observational data including optical, IR, and supersoft X‐rays. Mass estimates of individual objects give important information for the binary evolution scenario of type Ia supernovae (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Mass-accreting white dwarfs and type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) play a prominent role in understanding the evolution of the Universe. They are thought to be thermonuclear explosions of mass-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs(CO WDs) in binaries, although the mass donors of the accreting WDs are still not well determined. In this article, I review recent studies on mass-accreting WDs, including H-and He-accreting WDs. I also review currently most studied progenitor models of SNe Ia, i.e., the single-degenerate model(including the WD+MS channel, the WD+RG channel and the WD+He star channel), the doubledegenerate model(including the violent merger scenario) and the sub-Chandrasekhar mass model.Recent progress on these progenitor models is discussed, including the initial parameter space for producing SNe Ia, the binary evolutionary paths to SNe Ia, the progenitor candidates for SNe Ia, the possible surviving companion stars of SNe Ia, some observational constraints, etc. Some other potential progenitor models of SNe Ia are also summarized, including the hybrid CONe WD model, the core-degenerate model, the double WD collision model, the spin-up/spin-down model and the model of WDs near black holes. To date, it seems that two or more progenitor models are needed to explain the observed diversity among SNe Ia.     

The C/O ratio of He-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs and type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) are thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs(CO WDs), and are believed to be excellent cosmological distance indicators due to their high luminosity and remarkable uniformity. However, there exists a diversity among SNe Ia, and a poor understanding of the diversity hampers the improvement of the accuracy of cosmological distance measurements. The variations of the ratios of carbon to oxygen(C/O) of WDs at explosion are suggested to contribute to the diversity. In the canonical model of SNe Ia, a CO WD accretes matter from its companion and increases its mass till the Chandrasekhar mass limit when the WD explodes. In this work, we studied the C/O ratio for accreting CO WDs. Employing the stellar evolution code MESA, we simulated the accretion of He-rich material onto CO WDs with different initial WD masses and different mass accretion rates. We found that the C/O ratio varies for different cases. The C/O ratio of He-accreting CO WDs at explosion increases with a decreasing initial WD mass or a decreasing accretion rate. The various C/O ratios may, therefore, contribute to the diversity of SNe Ia.     

Accreting He-rich material onto carbon-oxygen white dwarfs until explosive carbon ignition

Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) play an important role in studies of cosmology and galactic chemical evolution.They are believed to be thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs(CO WDs)when their masses approach the Chandrasekar(Ch) mass limit.However,it is still not completely understood how a CO WD increases its mass to the Ch-mass limit in the classical single-degenerate(SD) model.In this paper,we studied the mass accretion process in the SD model to examine whether the WD can explode as an SN Ia.Employing the stellar evolution code called modules for experiments in stellar astrophysics(MESA),we simulated the He accretion process onto CO WDs.We found that the WD can increase its mass to the Ch-mass limit through the SD model and explosive carbon ignition finally occurs in its center,which will lead to an SN Ia explosion.Our results imply that SNe Ia can be produced from the SD model through steady helium accretion.Moreover,this work can provide initial input parameters for explosion models of SNe Ia.     

Recent discoveries of supersoft X‐ray sources in M 31

Classical novae (CNe) have recently been reported to represent the major class of supersoft X‐ray sources (SSSs) in the central area of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. This paper presents a review of results from recent X‐ray observations of M 31 with XMM‐Newton and Chandra. We carried out a dedicated optical and X‐ray monitoring program of CNe and SSSs in the central area ofM 31. We discovered the first SSSs in M 31 globular clusters (GCs) and their connection to the very first discovered CN in a M 31 GC. This result may have an impact on the CN rate in GCs. Furthermore, in our optical and X‐ray monitoring data we discovered the CN M3 1N 2007‐11a, which shows a very short SSS phase of 29–52 days. Short SSS states (durations ≤ 100 days) of CNe indicate massive white dwarfs (WDs) that are candidate progenitors of supernovae type Ia. In the case of M31N 2007‐11a, the optical and X‐ray light curves suggest a binary containing a WD with M_WD > 1.0 M_⊙. Finally, we present the discovery of the SSS counterpart of the CN M31N 2006‐04a. The X‐ray light curve of M31N 2006‐04a shows short‐time variability, which might indicate an orbital period of about 2 hours (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Progenitors of type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play an important role in astrophysics and are crucial for the studies of stellar evolution, galaxy evolution and cosmology. They are generally thought to be thermonuclear explosions of accreting carbon–oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs) in close binaries, however, the nature of the mass donor star is still unclear. In this article, we review various progenitor models proposed in the past years and summarize many observational results that can be used to put constraints on the nature of their progenitors. We also discuss the origin of SN Ia diversity and the impacts of SN Ia progenitors on some fields. The currently favourable progenitor model is the single-degenerate (SD) model, in which the WD accretes material from a non-degenerate companion star. This model may explain the similarities of most SNe Ia. It has long been argued that the double-degenerate (DD) model, which involves the merger of two CO WDs, may lead to an accretion-induced collapse rather than a thermonuclear explosion. However, recent observations of a few SNe Ia seem to support the DD model, and this model can produce normal SN Ia explosion under certain conditions. Additionally, the sub-luminous SNe Ia may be explained by the sub-Chandrasekhar mass model. At present, it seems likely that more than one progenitor model, including some variants of the SD and DD models, may be required to explain the observed diversity of SNe Ia.     

The cooling time of white dwarfs produced from type Iasupernovae

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play a key role in measuring cosmological pa- rameters, in which the Phillips relation is adopted. However, the origin of the relation is still unclear. Several parameters are suggested, e.g. the relative content of carbon to oxygen (C/O) and the central density of the white dwarf (WD) at ignition. These parameters are mainly determined by the WD's initial mass and its cooling time, respectively. Using the progenitor model developed by Meng Yang, we present the distributions of the initial WD mass and the cooling time. We do not find any correlation between these parameters. However, we notice that as the range of the WD's mass decreases, its average value increases with the cooling time. These results could provide a constraint when simulating the SN Ia explosion, i.e. the WDs with a high C/O ratio usually have a lower central density at ignition, while those having the highest central density at ignition generally have a lower C/O ratio. The cooling time is mainly determined by the evolutionary age of secondaries, and the scatter of the cooling time decreases with the evolutionary age. Our results may indicate that WDs with a long cooling time have more uniform properties than those with a short cooling time, which may be helpful to explain why SNe Ia in elliptical galaxies have a more uniform maximum luminosity than those in spiral galaxies.     

The cooling time of white dwarfs produced from type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia)play a key role in measuring cosmological parameters,in which the Phillips relation is adopted.However,the origin of the relation is still unclear.Several parameters are suggested,e.g.the relative content of carbon to oxygen(C/O)and the central density of the white dwarf(WD)at ignition.These parameters are mainly determined by the WD's initial mass and its cooling time,respectively.Using the progenitor model developed by Meng & Yang,we present the distributions of the initial WD mass and the cooling time.We do not find any correlation between these parameters.However,we notice that as the range of the WD's mass decreases,its average value increases with the cooling time.These results could provide a constraint when simulating the SN Ia explosion,i.e.the WDs with a high C/O ratio usually have a lower central density at ignition,while those having the highest central density at ignition generally have a lower C/O ratio.The cooling time is mainly determined by the evolutionary age of secondaries,and the scatter of the cooling time decreases with the evolutionary age.Our results may indicate that WDs with a long cooling time have more uniform properties than those with a short cooling time,which may be helpful to explain why SNe Ia in elliptical galaxies have a more uniform maximum luminosity than those in spiral galaxies.     

Galactic models and white dwarf populations

We make use of a previous well-tested Galactic model, but describing the observational behaviour of the various stellar components in terms of suitable assumptions on their evolutionary status. In this way we are able to predict the expected distribution of Galactic white dwarfs (WDs), with results which appear in rather good agreement with recent estimates of the local WD luminosity function. The predicted occurrence of WDs in deep observations of selected Galactic fields is presented, and we discuss the role played by WDs in star counts. The effects on the theoretical predictions of different white dwarf evolutionary models, ages, initial mass functions and relations between progenitor mass and WD mass are also discussed.     

Accreting CO material onto ONe white dwarfs towards accretion-induced collapse

The final outcomes of accreting ONe white dwarfs(ONe WDs) have been studied for several decades,but there are still some issues that are not resolved. Recently,some studies suggested that the deflagration of oxygen would occur for accreting ONe WDs with Chandrasekhar masses. In this paper,we aim to investigate whether ONe WDs can experience accretion-induced collapse(AIC) or explosions when their masses approach the Chandrasekhar limit. Employing the stellar evolution code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics(MESA),we simulate the longterm evolution of ONe WDs with accreting CO material. The ONe WDs undergo weak multicycle carbon flashes during the mass-accretion process,leading to mass increase of the WDs. We found that different initial WD masses and mass-accretion rates influence the evolution of central density and temperature. However,the central temperature cannot reach the explosive oxygen ignition temperature due to neutrino cooling. This work implies that the final outcome of accreting ONe WDs is electroncapture induced collapse rather than thermonuclear explosion.     

WD+MS systems as the progenitor of SNe Ia

The single-degenerate (SD) channel for the progenitors of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is one of the most popular channels, in which a carbon–oxygen white dwarf (CO WD) accretes hydrogen-rich material from its companion, increases its mass to the Chandrasekhar mass limit, and then explodes as a SN Ia. We show the initial and final parameter space for SNe Ia in a ( $\log P^{\mathrm{i}},M_{2}^{\mathrm{i}}$ ) plane and find that the positions of some famous recurrent novae, as well as a supersoft X-ray source (SSS), RX J0513.9-6951, are well explained by our model. The model can also explain the space velocity and mass of Tycho G, which is now suggested to be the companion star of Tycho’s supernova. Our study indicates that the SSS, V Sge, might be the potential progenitor of supernovae like SN 2002ic if the delayed dynamical-instability model due to Han and Podsiadlowski (Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 368:1095, 2006) is appropriate. Following the work of Meng et al. (Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 395:2103, 2009a), we found that the SD model (WD+MS) with an optically thick wind can explain the birth rate of supernovae like SN 2006X and reproduce the distribution of the color excess of SNe Ia. The model also predicts that at least 75% of all SNe Ia may show a polarization signal in their spectra.     

The evolution of iron-core white dwarfs

Recent measurements by Hipparcos present observational evidence supporting the existence of some white dwarf (WD) stars with iron-rich core composition. In connection with this, the present paper is aimed at exploring the structure and evolution of iron-core WDs by means of a detailed and updated evolutionary code. In particular, we examined the evolution of the central conditions, neutrino luminosity, surface gravity, crystallization, internal luminosity profile and ages. We find that the evolution of iron-rich WDs is markedly different from that of their carbon–oxygen counterparts. In particular, cooling is strongly accelerated (up to a factor of 5 for models with pure iron composition) as compared with the standard case. Thus, if iron WDs were very numerous, some of them would have had time enough to evolve at lower luminosities than that corresponding to the fall-off in the observed WD luminosity function.     

Observational evidence for expansion in the SSS spectra of novae

For several novae, a bright X‐ray source with a spectrum resembling the class of Super Soft X‐ray Sources (SSS) has been observed a few weeks to months after outburst. Novae are powered by explosive nuclear burning on the surface of a white dwarf, and enough energy is produced to power a radiatively driven wind. Owing to the evolution of the opacity of the ejecta, the observable spectrum gradually shifts from optical to soft X‐rays (SSS phase). It has sometimes been assumed that at the beginning of the SSS phase no more mass loss occurs. However, high‐resolution X‐ray spectra of some novae have shown highly blue‐shifted absorption lines, indicating a significant expansion. In this paper, I show that all novae that have been observed with X‐ray gratings during their SSS phase show significant blue shifts. I argue that all models that attempt to explain the X‐ray bright SSS phase have to accommodate the continued expansion of the ejecta (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

SSS in young stellar populations and the “prompt” component of Type Ia supernovae

We present the results of a search for UV and optical counterparts of the SSS population in M 31. We find that out of the 56 sources we included in our search, 16 are associated with regions of ongoing or recent star formation. We discuss two particularly interesting sources that are identified optically as early type stars, one of which displayed long term X‐ray evolution similar to that observed in classical novae. We discuss the physical origin of supersoft X‐rays in these and the other SSS in young regions, and their possible link to the so‐called “prompt” component of the Type Ia supernova population (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Photometric constraints on white dwarfs and the identification of extreme objects

It is possible to reliably identify white dwarfs (WDs) without recourse to spectra, instead using photometric and astrometric measurements to distinguish them from main-sequence stars and quasars. WDs' colours can also be used to infer their intrinsic properties (effective temperature, surface gravity, etc.), but the results obtained must be interpreted with care. The difficulties stem from the existence of a solid angle degeneracy, as revealed by a full exploration of the likelihood, although this can be masked if a simple best-fitting approach is used. Conversely, this degeneracy can be broken if a Bayesian approach is adopted, as it is then possible to utilize the prior information on the surface gravities of WDs implied by spectroscopic fitting. The benefits of such an approach are particularly strong when applied to outliers, such as the candidate halo and ultracool WDs identified by Vidrih et al. A reanalysis of these samples confirms their results for the latter sample, but suggests that most of the halo candidates are thick-disc WDs in the tails of the photometric noise distribution.     

Maximum mass of magnetic white dwarfs

We revisit the problem of the maximum masses of magnetized white dwarfs(WDs).The impact of a strong magnetic field on the structure equations is addressed.The pressures become anisotropic due to the presence of the magnetic field and split into parallel and perpendicular components.We first construct stable solutions of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations for parallel pressures and find that physical solutions vanish for the perpendicular pressure when B(?) 10~(13) G.This fact establishes an upper bound for a magnetic field and the stability of the configurations in the(quasi) spherical approximation.Our findings also indicate that it is not possible to obtain stable magnetized WDs with super-Chandrasekhar masses because the values of the magnetic field needed for them are higher than this bound.To proceed into the anisotropic regime,we can apply results for structure equations appropriate for a cylindrical metric with anisotropic pressures that were derived in our previous work.From the solutions of the structure equations in cylindrical symmetry we have confirmed the same bound for B ~ 10~(13) G,since beyond this value no physical solutions are possible.Our tentative conclusion is that massive WDs with masses well beyond the Chandrasekhar limit do not constitute stable solutions and should not exist.     

The influence of host galaxy morphology on the properties of Type Ia supernovae from the JLA compilation

The observational cosmology with distant Type Ia supernovae (SNe) as standard candles claims that the Universe is in accelerated expansion, caused by a large fraction of dark energy. In this paper we investigate the SN Ia environment, studying the impact of the nature of their host galaxies on the Hubble diagram fitting. The supernovae (192 SNe) used in the analysis were extracted from Joint-Light-curves-Analysis (JLA) compilation of high-redshift and nearby supernovae which is the best one to date. The analysis is based on the empirical fact that SN Ia luminosities depend on their light curve shapes and colors. We confirm that the stretch parameter of Type Ia supernovae is correlated with the host galaxy type. The supernovae with lower stretch are hosted mainly in elliptical and lenticular galaxies. No significant correlation between SN Ia colour and host morphology was found. We also examine how the luminosities of SNe Ia change depending on host galaxy morphology after stretch and colour corrections. Our results show that in old stellar populations and low dust environments, the supernovae are slightly fainter. SNe Ia in elliptical and lenticular galaxies have a higher α (slope in luminosity-stretch) and β (slope in luminosity-colour) parameter than in spirals. However, the observed shift is at the 1-σ uncertainty level and, therefore, can not be considered as significant. We confirm that the supernova properties depend on their environment and that the incorporation of a host galaxy term into the Hubble diagram fit is expected to be crucial for future cosmological analyses.     

Supersoft X‐ray sources and the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae

Supersoft X‐ray sources have been proposed as one of the major channels to produce Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). However, the true nature of the progenitors has remained an unsolved problem. In this review I summarize the present status of our understanding of SN Ia progenitors, the main classes of progenitor models and recent observational constraints. At present, neither the single‐degenerate nor the double‐degenerate model can be ruled out, and indeed more than one channel may be required to explain the observed SN Ia diversity. Finally, I discuss the origin of the lightcurve peak – lightcurve width relation (the ‘Phillips relation’) and show that it is expected to depend on metallicity; this needs to be taken into account in high‐precision cosmological applications (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

高速Ia型超新星的蓝色超出: 星周介质的尘埃散射

Ia型超新星起源于碳氧白矮星在质量接近钱德拉塞卡极限时的热核爆炸,并被广泛地用作宇宙学距离的标准烛光.然而, Ia型超新星的前身星系统和爆炸机制还存在很多不明确的地方.近几十年来, Ia型超新星的星周环境得到了越来越多的关注.星周介质的空间分布性质为探究Ia型超新星的物理起源提供了重要线索.同时星周尘埃的散射会在Ia型超新星晚期的光变曲线、光谱和偏振等方面产生可观测效应.光谱上正常的Ia型超新星可以分成两类:喷射物速度正常和高速Ia型超新星.对比两者的光变曲线可以发现高速Ia型超新星在光极大后几个月内有明显颜色偏蓝的超出.该蓝色超出可以通过星周介质中的尘埃散射拟合得到.同时, Ia型超新星晚期光谱的拟合可以限制星周尘埃的颗粒大小等性质,晚期的偏振信号可以有效地限制星周尘埃的空间分布.拟合结果表明针对Ia型超新星晚期的多次图像偏振观测是揭示其星周尘埃环境特征的重要手段.