scholarly journals Novae and Accreting White Dwarfs as Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S281) ◽  
pp. 172-180
Author(s):  
Mariko Kato

AbstractI review various phenomena associated with mass-accreting white dwarfs (WDs) in relation to progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The WD mass can be estimated from light curve analysis in multiwavelength bands based on the theory of optically thick winds. In the single degenerate scenario of SNe Ia, two main channels are known, i.e., WD + main sequence (MS) channel and WD + red giant (RG) channel. In each channel, a typical binary undergoes three evolutionary stages before explosion, i.e., the wind phase, supersoft X-ray source (SSS) phase, and recurrent nova phase, in this order because the accretion rate decreases with time as the companion mass decreases. For some accreting WDs we can identify the corresponding stage of evolution. Intermittent supersoft X-ray sources like RX J0513.9−6951 and V Sge correspond to wind phase objects. For the SSS phase, CAL 87-type objects correspond to the WD+MS channel. For the WD + RG channel, soft X-ray observations of early type galaxies give statistical evidence of SSS phase binaries. Recurrent novae of U Sco-type and RS Oph-type correspond to the WD + MS channel and WD + RG channel, respectively. The majority of recurrent novae host a very massive WD (≳ 1.35 M⊙) and often show a plateau phase in their optical light curves corresponding to the long-lasting supersoft X-ray phase. These properties are indications of increasing WD masses.

2002 ◽  
Vol 187 ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
X.-D. Li ◽  
E. P. J. van den Heuvel

Supersoft X-ray sources (hereafter SSS) are a class of luminous (bolometric luminosity ~ 1037 − 1038 erg s−1) objects with a characteristic radiation temperature of 30 to 60 eV (Hasinger 1994; Kahabka & Trümper 1996). The most popular model for SSS is that they are massive white dwarfs steadily burning nuclear fuel accreted from a more massive binary companion at a rate near or above the Eddington limit (van den Heuvel et al. 1992).


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S281) ◽  
pp. 322-325
Author(s):  
Pilar Ruiz–Lapuente ◽  
Jonay González Hernández ◽  
Hugo Tabernero ◽  
David Montes ◽  
Ramon Canal ◽  
...  

AbstractWe have completed a survey down to R = 15 mag of the stars within a circle of 4 arcmin radius around the nominal center of the remnant of SN 1006, one of the three historical Type Ia supernovae (the other two being SN 1572 and SN 1604), in search of a possible surviving binary companion of the white dwarf whose explosion gave rise to the supernova. The stellar parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity), as well as the radial velocities of all the stars, have been measured from spectra obtained with the UVES spectrograph at the VLT, and from the former and the available photometry, distances have been determined. Chemical abundances of the Fe-peak elements Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni have also been measured to check for possible contamination of the stellar surface by the supernova ejecta. The limiting magnitude of the survey would allow us to find stellar companions of the red-giant type, subgiant stars, and main–sequence stars down to F5–6. Unlike in SN 1572, where a subgiant of type G0–1 has been proposed as the companion of SN 1572, for SN 1006 we can discard the possibility that SN 1006 had a red giant or subgiant companion.


1996 ◽  
Vol 158 ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Livio ◽  
David Branch ◽  
L. R. Yungelson ◽  
Francesca Boffi ◽  
E. Baron

AbstractThe question of the possible progenitors of supernovae Type la (SNe la) is examined. It is argued that SNe la are thermonuclear explosions of accreting C-O white dwarfs. The existing observational evidence favors somewhat models in which the exploding star ignites carbon upon reaching the Chandrasekhar mass. A careful examination of all the potential progenitor classes reveals that when realization frequencies are combined with a variety of observational charcteristics, no single class emerges as containing the obvious progenitors. It is argued that coalescing white dwarfs or supersoft X-ray sources are the most likely progenitor systems. A few critical observations which could help identify the progenitors unambiguously are discussed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S281) ◽  
pp. 326-330
Author(s):  
Wolfgang E. Kerzendorf

AbstractThere is broad agreement that the stars which explode as Type Ia supernovae are white dwarfs. They have accreted material in a binary system until they are near the Chandrasekhar mass and detonate/deflagrate. The two main scenarios for this accretion process are merging with a companion white dwarf (double degenerate scenario), or accretion from a main-sequence to red giant donor (single degenerate scenario). The donor star survives post-explosion and would provide substantial evidence for the single degenerate scenario, if found. Our team is analyzing stars in close proximity to Galactic Type Ia remnants to find surviving donor stars. In my talk I will introduce the different progenitor systems and the expected state for a donor star today. I will outline our search using high resolution spectroscopy and will present updated results.


1994 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 186-213
Author(s):  
J. Isern ◽  
R. Canal

AbstractIn this paper we review the behavior of growing stellar degenerate cores. It is shown that ONeMg white dwarfs and cold CO white dwarfs can collapse to form a neutron star. This collapse is completely silent since the total amount of radioactive elements that are expelled is very small and a burst of γ-rays is never produced. In the case of an explosion (always carbonoxygen cores), the outcome fits quite well the observed properties of Type Ia supernovae. Nevertheless, the light curves and the velocities measured at maximum are very homogeneous and the diversity introduced by igniting at different densities is not enough to account for the most extreme cases observed. It is also shown that a promising way out of this problem could be the He-induced detonation of white dwarfs with different masses. Finally, we outline that the location of the border line which separetes explosion from collapse strongly depends on the input physics adopted.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S281) ◽  
pp. 205-208
Author(s):  
Bo Wang ◽  
Zhanwen Han

AbstractEmploying Eggleton's stellar evolution code and assuming optically thick winds, we systematically studied the He star donor channel of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), in which a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (WD) accretes material from a He main-sequence star or a He subgiant to increase its mass to the Chandrasekhar mass. We mapped out the initial parameters for producing SNe Ia in the orbital period–secondary mass plane for various WD masses from this channel. Based on a detailed binary population synthesis approach, we find that this channel can produce SNe Ia with short delay times (~100 Myr) implied by recent observations. We derived many properties of the surviving companions of this channel after SN explosion, which can be tested by future observations. We also find that the surviving companions from the SN explosion scenario have a high spatial velocity (>400 km/s), which could be an alternative origin for hypervelocity stars (HVSs), especially for HVSs such as US 708.


2018 ◽  
Vol 865 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken J. Shen ◽  
Douglas Boubert ◽  
Boris T. Gänsicke ◽  
Saurabh W. Jha ◽  
Jennifer E. Andrews ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 919 (2) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Boos ◽  
Dean M. Townsley ◽  
Ken J. Shen ◽  
Spencer Caldwell ◽  
Broxton J. Miles

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