Double-detonation model of type Ia supernovae with a variable helium layer ignition mass

Although Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) play an important role in the study of cosmology, their progenitors are still poorly understood. Thermonuclear explosions from the helium double-detonation sub-Chandrasekhar mass model have been considered as an alternative method for producing SNe Ia. By adopting the assumption that a double detonation occurs when a He layer with a critical ignition mass accumulates on the surface of a carbon–oxygen white dwarf(CO WD), we perform detailed binary evolution calculations for the He double-detonation model, in which a He layer from a He star accumulates on a CO WD. According to these calculations, we obtain the initial parameter spaces for SNe Ia in the orbital period and secondary mass plane for various initial WD masses. We implement these results into a detailed binary population synthesis approach to calculate SN Ia birthrates and delay times. From this model,the SN Ia birthrate in our Galaxy is ～0.4- 1.6 × 10-3yr-1. This indicates that the double-detonation model only produces part of the SNe Ia. The delay times from this model are ～ 70- 710 Myr, which contribute to the young population of SNe Ia in the observations. We found that the CO WD + sdB star system CD-30 11223 could produce an SN Ia via the double-detonation model in its future evolution.     

The population in the background of open clusters: tracer of the Norma-Cygnus arm

We present colour–magnitude diagrams of open clusters, located in the range  112° < l < 252°  , manifesting stellar populations in the background of clusters. Some of the populations are found to be located beyond the Perseus arm and may be the part of the Norma-Cygnus (outer) arm. The outer arm seems to be continued from   l ∼ 120°  to ∼235°. The background populations follow the downward warp of the Galactic plane around   l ∼ 240°  .     

The C flash and the ignition conditions of Type Ia supernovae

Thanks to a stellar evolution code that is able to compute through the C flash we link the binary population synthesis of single degenerate progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) to their physical condition at the time of ignition. We show that there is a large range of possible ignition densities and we detail how their probability distribution depends on the accretion properties. The low-density peak of this distribution qualitatively reminds of the clustering of the luminosities of Branch-normal SNe Ia. We tighten the possible range of initial physical conditions for explosion models: they form a one-parameter family, independent of the metallicity. We discuss how these results may be modified if we were to relax our hypothesis of a permanent Hachisu wind or if we were to include electron captures.     

Type Ia supernovae and remnant neutron stars

On the basis of the current observational evidence, we put forward the case that the merger of two CO white dwarfs produces both a Type Ia supernova explosion and a stellar remnant, the latter in the form of a magnetar. The estimated occurrence rates raise the possibility that many, if not most, Type Ia supernovae might result from white dwarf mergers.     

Type IIP supernova SN 2004et: a multiwavelength study in X-ray, optical and radio

We present X-ray, broad-band optical and low-frequency radio observations of the bright type IIP supernova SN 2004et. The Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the supernova at three epochs, and the optical coverage spans a period of ∼470 d since explosion. The X-ray emission softens with time, and we characterize the X-ray luminosity evolution as   L _X∝ t ^−0.4  . We use the observed X-ray luminosity to estimate a mass-loss rate for the progenitor star of  ∼2 × 10⁻⁶ M_⊙ yr⁻¹  . The optical light curve shows a pronounced plateau lasting for about 110 d. Temporal evolution of photospheric radius and colour temperature during the plateau phase is determined by making blackbody fits. We estimate the ejected mass of ⁵⁶Ni to be  0.06 ± 0.03 M_⊙  . Using the expressions of Litvinova & Nadëzhin we estimate an explosion energy of  (0.98 ± 0.25) × 10⁵¹ erg  . We also present a single epoch radio observation of SN 2004et. We compare this with the predictions of the model proposed by Chevalier, Fransson & Nymark. These multiwavelength studies suggest a main-sequence progenitor mass of  ∼20 M_⊙  for SN 2004et.     

Past and future of the central double-degenerate core of Henize 2–428

It has been suggested that Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) could be produced in the conditions of the violent merger scenario of the double-degenerate model, in which a thermonuclear explosion could be produced when a double carbon-oxygen white dwarf(CO WD) merges. It has been recently found that the nucleus of the bipolar planetary nebula Henize 2–428 consists of a double CO WD system that has a total mass of^1.76 M⊙, a mass ratio of^1 and an orbital period of^4.2 h, which is the first and only discovered progenitor candidate for an SN Ia predicted by the violent merger scenario. In this work, we aim to reproduce the evolutionary history of the central double CO WD of Henize 2–428. We find that the planetary nebula Henize 2–428 may originate from a primordial binary that has a^5.4 M⊙primary and a^2.7 M⊙secondary with an initial orbital period of^15.9 d. The double CO WD was formed after the primordial binary experienced two Roche-lobe overflows and two common-envelope ejection processes.According to our calculations, it takes about^840 Myr for the double CO WD to merge and form an SN Ia driven by gravitational wave radiation after their birth. To produce the current status of Henize 2–428,a large common-envelope parameter is needed. We also estimate that the rate of SNe Ia from the violent merger scenario is at most 2.9 × 10^-4 yr^-1, and that the delay time is in the range of^90 Myr to the Hubble time.     

X-ray emissions from two-temperature accretion flows within a dipole magnetic funnel

We investigate the hydrodynamics of accretion channelled by a dipolar magnetic field (funnel flows). We consider situations in which the electrons and ions in the flow cannot maintain thermal equilibrium [two-temperature (2T) effects] due to strong radiative loss, and determine the effects on the keV X-ray properties of the systems. We apply this model to investigate the accretion shocks of white dwarfs in magnetic cataclysmic variables (mCVs). We have found that the incorporation of 2T effects could harden the keV X-rays. Also, the dipolar model yields harder X-ray spectra than the standard planar model if white dwarf is sufficiently massive  (≳1 M_⊙)  . When fitting observed keV X-ray spectra of mCVs, the inclusion of 2T hydrodynamics and a dipolar accretion geometry lowers estimates for white dwarf masses when compared with masses inferred from models excluding these effects. We find mass reductions ≲9 per cent in the most massive cases.     

The effect of curvature on detonation waves in Type Ia supernovae

The effect of curvature on detonation speed and structure for detonation waves in C–O is investigated. Weakly curved detonation fronts have a sonic point inside the reaction zone. In such waves the detonation speed depends on the detailed internal structure and not on simple jump conditions. Hence, in order to obtain the correct propagation speed and products of burning, the reaction length-scales must be resolved in any numerical simulation involving curved detonations in C–O. For each value of the initial density there is a corresponding extinction curvature above which quasi-steady detonations cannot propagate. For densities less than 2×10⁷ g cm⁻³, where the self-sustaining planar waves are Chapman–Jouguet, and for realistic values of the curvature, the sonic point moves from the end of silicon burning to the end of oxygen burning. Hence the effective detonation length, i.e. the length-scale of the burning between the shock and the sonic point which can affect the front, is several orders of magnitudes less than the planar waves predict. However, silicon burning, which occurs downstream of the sonic point, is increased in length by a few orders of magnitude owing to lower detonation speeds and temperatures. Therefore more intermediate-mass elements will be produced by incomplete burning if curvature is taken into account. Recent advances in detonation theory and modelling are also discussed in the context of Type Ia supernovae.     

Projected rotational velocities of WD 1614+136 and WD 1353+409: implications for the rate of Galactic Type Ia supernovae

The white dwarf stars WD 1614+136 and WD 1353+409 are not sufficiently massive to have formed through single-star evolution. However, observations to date have not yet found any evidence for binarity. It has therefore been suggested that these stars are the result of a merger. In this paper we place an upper limit of ≈ 50 km s⁻¹ on the projected rotational velocities of both stars. This suggests that, if these stars are the results of a merger, efficient angular momentum loss with accompanying mass loss must have occurred. If the same process occurs following the merging of more massive white dwarf stars, the predicted rate of Type Ia supernovae due to merging white dwarfs may have been greatly overestimated. Further observations to determine binarity in WD 1614+136 and WD 1353+409 are therefore encouraged.     

Reflections on reflexions – II. Effects of light echoes on the luminosity and spectra of Type Ia supernovae

In this paper, we present and discuss the effects of scattered light echoes (LEs) on the luminosity and spectral appearance of Type Ia supernovae (SNe). After introducing the basic concept of LE spectral synthesis by means of LE models and real observations, we investigate the deviations from pure SN spectra, light and colour curves, the signatures that witness the presence of an LE and the possible inferences on the extinction law. The effects on the photometric parameters and spectral features are also discussed. In particular, for the case of circumstellar dust, LEs are found to introduce an apparent relation between the post-maximum decline rate and the absolute luminosity, which is most likely going to affect the well-known Pskowski–Phillips relation.