Models for Type Ia Supernovae and Related Astrophysical Transients

Abstract

We give an overview of recent efforts to model Type Ia supernovae and related astrophysical transients resulting from thermonuclear explosions in white dwarfs. In particular we point out the challenges resulting from the multi-physics multi-scale nature of the problem and discuss possible numerical approaches to meet them in hydrodynamical explosion simulations and radiative transfer modeling. We give examples of how these methods are applied to several explosion scenarios that have been proposed to explain distinct subsets or, in some cases, the majority of the observed events. In case we comment on some of the successes and shortcoming of these scenarios and highlight important outstanding issues.

Monte Carlo radiative transfer

“…Notwithstanding the importance of SNe Ia, a full understanding of the exact nature of these transients still remains elusive and a range of proposed models remain under study (see e.g. Hillebrandt and Niemeyer 2000;Hillebrandt et al 2013;Röpke 2017;Röpke and Sim 2018). One important strategy to study SNe Ia is to model their observed spectra with the aim of inferring the ejecta composition and structure as a means to understand the explosion itself.…”

A unified mechanism for unconfined deflagration-to-detonation transition in terrestrial chemical systems and type Ia supernovae

“…SNIa explosions are driven by fast thermonuclear burning in 12 C/ 16 O white dwarf (WD) stars with a mass close to, or below, the Chandrasekhar-mass limit of ≈ 1.4 solar masses (4) -the maximum mass of a WD supported against the gravitational collapse by the electron degeneracy pressure. Beyond this general statement, however, the exact mechanisms of SNIa remain unclear (5)(6)(7)(8), with a number of possible scenarios. These include the classical Chandrasekhar-mass (M ch ) model (9)(10)(11)(12), sub-Chandrasekhar-mass (sub-M ch ) models (13)(14)(15)(16), double-degenerate (DD) models that include mergers or collisions of two WDs (17)(18)(19)(20), and gravitationally confined detonations (21,22).…”