Explosions inside Ejecta and Most Luminous Supernovae
S. I. Blinnikov
备注:
9 pages, 6 figures, LateX aipproc.cls. A bit more details and color added to Fig.3. The 10th International Symposium on Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxies (OMEG07), Sapporo, Japan, December 2007
The extremely luminous supernova SN2006gy is explained in the same way as other SNIIn events: light is produced by a radiative shock propagating in a dense circumstellar envelope formed by a previous weak explosion. The problems in the theory and observations of multiple-explosion SNe IIn are briefly reviewed.
We present a detailed analysis of Chandra X-ray spectra from individual ejecta knots in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. The spectra are fitted to give the electron temperature and (single) ionization age. These quantities are compared with the predictions of self similar hydrodynamic models incorporating time dependent ionization and radiation losses, and Coulomb electron-ion equilibration behind the reverse shock, for a variety of different ejecta density profiles described by a uniform density core and a power law envelope. We find that the ejecta close to the "jet" region in the NE, but…
Explosions of type Ic supernovae (SNe Ic) are investigated using a relativistic hydrodynamic code to study roles of their outermost layers of the ejecta in light element nucleosynthesis through spallation reactions as a possible mechanism of the "primary" process. We have confirmed that the energy distribution of the outermost layers with a mass fraction of only 0.001 % follows the empirical formula proposed by previous work when the explosion is furious. In such explosions, a significant fraction of the ejecta ($>$0.1 % in mass) have the energy greater than the threshold energy for spallation…
We show that neutrino-driven pulsar kicks can increase the energy of the supernova shock. The observed large velocities of pulsars are believed to originate in the supernova explosion, either from asymmetries in the ejecta or from an anisotropic emission of neutrinos (or other light particles) from the cooling neutron star. In this paper we assume the velocities are caused by anisotropic neutrino emission and study the effects of these neutrino-driven kicks on the supernova explosion. We find that if the collapsed star is marginally unable to produce an explosion, the neutrino-driven mechanism…
The explosion mechanism behind Type Ia supernovae is a matter of continuing debate. The diverse attempts to identify or at least constrain the physical processes involved in the explosion have been only partially successful so far. In this paper we propose to use the thermal X-ray emission from young supernova remnants originated in Type Ia events to extract relevant information concerning the explosions themselves. We have produced a grid of thermonuclear supernova models representative of the paradigms currently under debate: pure deflagrations, delayed detonations, pulsating delayed detonat…
We explore the dynamical and thermal evolution of the ejected neutron star crust in a Quark-Nova explosion. Typical explosion energies and ejected crust masses result in relativistic ejection with Lorentz factors of a few to a few hundred. The ejecta undergoes a rapid cooling and stretching resulting in break up into many small pieces (clumps) when the ejecta is only ~ 100 km from the explosion site. The number and size of the clumps depends on whether the breakup occurs in the liquid or solid phase. For these two cases, the clump number is ~ 10^3 (liquid phase) or ~ 10^7 (solid phase) and, at…
We investigate the acceleration of shock waves to relativistic velocities in the outer layers of exploding stars. By concentrating the explosion energy in the outermost ejecta, such trans-relativistic blast waves can serve as the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs); in particular, the ``baryon-loading'' problem that plagues many models of GRBs is circumvented. We present physically motivated and numerically validated analytic expressions to describe trans-relativistic blast waves in supernovae. We find that relativistic ejecta are enhanced in more centrally condensed envelopes, e.g., for ra…
The death of massive stars and the processes which govern the formation of compact remnants are not fully understood. Observationally, this problem may be addressed by studying different classes of cosmic explosions and their energy sources. Here we discuss recent results on the energetics of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and Type Ib/c Supernovae (SNe Ib/c). In particular, radio observations of GRB030329, which allow us to undertake calorimetry of the explosion, reveal that some GRBs are dominated by mildly relativistic ejecta such that the total explosive yield of GRBs is nearly constant, while the…
We present observations of two LMC supernova remnants (SNRs), DEM L238 and DEM L249, with the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray satellites. Bright central emission, surrounded by a faint shell, is present in both remnants. The central emission has an entirely thermal spectrum dominated by strong Fe L-shell lines, with the deduced Fe abundance in excess of solar and not consistent with the LMC abundance. This Fe overabundance leads to the conclusion that DEM L238 and DEM L249 are remnants of thermonuclear (Type Ia) explosions. The shell emission originates in gas swept up and heated by the blast wav…
Over the last decade, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) including the subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs) have been revealed to be a rare variety of Type Ibc supernova (SN). While all these events result from the death of massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those of ordinary Type Ibc SNe by many orders of magnitude. The essential physical process that causes a dying star to produce a GRB or XRF, and not just an SN, remains the crucial open question. Here we present radio and X-ray observations of XRF 060218 (associated with SN 2006aj), the second nearest GR…
We present the first results from an ongoing work aimed to use supernovae remnants to discriminate among different type Ia supernovae explosion models. We have computed the hydrodynamic interaction of supernova ejecta with the interstellar medium, obtaining the evolution of the density, temperature and ionization structure of the remnant. We have used ejecta profiles obtained from 1D hydrodynamic calculations of the different explosion mechanisms that are currently under debate. We have analyzed the best indicators that allow to discriminate among the different explosion mechanisms, taking int…
Even at extragalactic distances, the shape of supernova ejecta can be effectively diagnosed by spectropolarimetry. We present here results for 17 Type Ia supernovae that allow a statistical study of the correlation among the geometric structures and other observable parameters of Type Ia supernovae. These observations suggest that their ejecta typically consist of a smooth, central iron rich core and an outer layer with chemical asymmetries. The degree of this peripheral asphericity is correlated with the light-curve decline rate of Type Ia supernovae. These observations lend strong support to…
The recent discovery of the unusual supernova SN1998bw and its apparent correlation with the gamma-ray burst GRB 980425 has raised new issues concerning both the GRB and supernovae. Although the spectra resemble those of TypeIc supernovae, there are distinct differences at early times and SN1998bw appeared to be unusually bright and red at maximum light. The apparent expansion velocities inferred by the Doppler shift of (unidentified) absorption features appeared to be high, making SN1998bw a possible candidate for a "hypernova" with explosion energies between 20 and 50E51 erg and ejecta masse…
We reanalyze $r$-process nucleosynthesis in the neutron-rich ejecta from a prompt supernova explosion of a low-mass (11 M$_\odot$) progenitor. A pompt explosion is not yet ruled out as a possibility for low-mass supernova progenitors. Moreover, there is mounting evidence that a new $r$-process site may be required. Hence, we assume that a prompt explosion can occur and make a study of r-process nucleosynthesis in the supernova ejecta. To achieve a prompt explosion we have performed a general relativistic hydrodynamic simulation of adiabatic collapse and bounce using a relativistic nuclear-matt…
The supernova remnants left behind by Type Ia supernovae provide an excellent opportunity for the study of these enigmatic objects. In a previous work, we showed that it is possible to use the X-ray spectra of young Type Ia supernova remnants to explore the physics of Type Ia supernovae and identify the relevant mechanism underlying these explosions. Our simulation technique is based on hydrodynamic and nonequilibrium ionization calculations of the interaction of a grid of Type Ia explosion models with the surrounding ambient medium, coupled to an X-ray spectral code. In this work we explore t…
We present extensive radio observations of SN 2003L, the most luminous and energetic Type Ibc radio supernova with the exception of SN 1998bw (associated with GRB 980425). Observations from the Very Large Array are well described by a fitting a synchrotron self-absorption model to the emission spectrum. This model implies a sub-relativistic ejecta velocity, v ~ 0.2c, and a size of r ~ 4.3 x 10^{15} cm at t ~ 10 days. The circumstellar density is suitably fit with a stellar wind profile, n_e ~ r^{-2} and a constant mass loss rate of M_dot ~ 7.5 x 10^{-6} M_{solar}/year. Moreover, the magnetic f…
High-velocity features in Type Ia supernova spectra provide a way to probe the outer layers of these explosions. The maximum-light spectra of the unique Type Ia supernova 2000cx exhibit interesting Ca II features with high-velocity components. The infrared triplet absorption is quadruply notched, while the H&K absorption is wide and flat. Stimulated by a three-dimensional interpretation of similar Ca II features in another Type Ia supernova (SN 2001el, Kasen et al. 2003), we present alternative spherically symmetric and three-dimensional ejecta models to fit the high-velocity (v > 16,000 km/s)…
We discuss the optical spectropolarimetry of several core-collapse supernovae, SN 1996cb (Type IIB), SN 1997X (Type Ic), and SN 1998S (Type IIn). The data show polarization evolution of several spectral features at levels from 0.5% to above 4%. The observed line polarization is intrinsic to the supernovae and not of interstellar origin. These data suggest that the the distribution of ejected matter is highly aspherical. In the case of SN 1998S, the minimum major to minor axis ratio must be larger than 2.5 to 1 if the polarization is 3% from an oblate spheroidal ejecta seen edge on. A well-defi…
We present a theoretical model for supernova (SN) 2008D associated with the luminous X-ray transient 080109. The bolometric light curve and optical spectra of the SN are modelled based on the progenitor models and the explosion models obtained from hydrodynamic/nucleosynthetic calculations. We find that SN 2008D is a more energetic explosion than normal core-collapse supernovae, with an ejecta mass of Mej = 5.3 +- 1.0 Msun and a kinetic energy of E = 6.0 +- 2.5 x 10^{51} erg. The progenitor star of the SN has a 6-8 Msun He core with essentially no H envelope (< 5 x 10^{-4} Msun) prior to the e…
We analyzed the spectra and light curve of the peculiar type II-P supernova 1997D to recover ejecta parameters. The optimal hydrodynamical model of SN 1997D, which meets observational constraints at the photospheric epoch, suggests a low explosion energy of about $10^{50}$ erg, ejecta mass around $6 M_{\odot}$, and presupernova radius near $85 R_{\odot}$. We confirm the previous result by Turatto et al. (\cite{tmy98}) that the ejecta contain a very low amount of radioactive $^{56}$Ni ($\approx 0.002 M_{\odot}$). Modelling the nebular spectrum supports the hydrodynamical model and permits us to…
We present a detonating failed deflagration model of Type Ia supernovae. In this model, the thermonuclear explosion of a massive white dwarf follows an off-center deflagration. We conduct a survey of asymmetric ignition configurations initiated at various distances from the stellar center. In all cases studied, we find that only a small amount of stellar fuel is consumed during deflagration phase, no explosion is obtained, and the released energy is mostly wasted on expanding the progenitor. Products of the failed deflagration quickly reach the stellar surface, polluting and strongly disturbin…
We consider some of the spectral and polarimetric signatures of the gravitational confined detonation scenario for Type Ia supernova explosions. In this model, material produced by an off-center deflagration (which itself fails to produce the explosion) forms a metal-rich atmosphere above the white dwarf surface. Using hydrodynamical simulations, we show that this atmosphere is compressed and accelerated during the subsequent interaction with the supernova ejecta. This leads ultimately to the formation of a high-velocity pancake of metal-rich material that is geometrically detached from the bu…
In this paper we use high quality X-ray observations from XMM-Newton and Chandra to gain new insights into the explosion that originated Tycho's supernova 433 years ago. We perform a detailed comparison between the ejecta emission from the spatially integrated X-ray spectrum of the supernova remnant and current models for Type Ia supernova explosions. We use a grid of synthetic X-ray spectra based on hydrodynamic models of the evolution of the supernova remnant and self-consistent nonequilibrium ionization calculations for the state of the shocked plasma. We find that the fundamental propertie…
We examine observed heavy element abundances in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant as a constraint on the nature of the Cas A supernova. We compare bulk abundances from 1D and 3D explosion models and spatial distribution of elements in 3D models with those derived from X-ray observations. We also examine the cospatial production of 26Al with other species. We find that the most reliable indicator of the presence of 26Al in unmixed ejecta is a very low S/Si ratio (~0.05). Production of N in O/S/Si-rich regions is also indicative. The biologically important element P is produced at its highest a…
We compare a suite of 3D explosion calculations and stellar models incorporating advanced physics with observational constraints on the progenitor of Cassiopeia A. We consider binary and single stars from 16 to 40 solar masses with a range of explosion energies and geometries. The parameter space allowed by observations of nitrogen rich high velocity ejecta, ejecta mass, compact remnant mass, and 44Ti and 56Ni abundances individually and as an ensemble is considered. A progenitor of 15-25 solar masses which loses its hydrogen envelope to a binary interaction and undergoes an energetic explosio…
A number of supernovae, classified as Type II, show remarkably peculiar properties such as an extremely low expansion velocity and an extraordinarily small amount of $^{56}$Ni in the ejecta. We present a joint analysis of the available observations for two of these peculiar Type II supernovae, SN 1997D and SN 1999br, using a comprehensive semi-analytic method that can reproduce the light curve and the evolution of the line velocity and continuum temperature. We find that these events are under-energetic with respect to a typical Type II supernova and that the inferred mass of the ejecta is rel…