The recently observed diversity of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) has motivated us to conduct the theoretical modeling of SNe Ia for a wide parameter range. In particular, the origin of Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) has been obscure. Following our earlier work on the parameter dependence of SN Ia models, we focus on SNe Iax in the present study. For a model of SNe Iax, we adopt the currently leading model of pure turbulent deflagration (PTD) of near-Chandrasekhar mass C+O white dwarfs (WDs). We carry out 2-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the propagation of deflagration wave, which leaves a small WD remnant behind and eject nucleosynthesis materials. We show how the explosion properties, such as nucleosynthesis and explosion energy, depend on the model parameters such as central densities and compositions of the WDs (including the hybrid WDs), and turbulent flame prescription and initial flame geometry. We extract the associated observables in our models, and compare with the recently discovered low-mass WDs with unusual surface abundance patterns and the abundance patterns of some SN remnants. We provide the nucleosynthesis yield tables for applications to stellar archaeology and galactic chemical evolution. Our results are compared with the representative models in the literature.
Due to the increasing number of observations Type Ia supernovae are nowadays regarded as a heterogeneous class of objects consisting of several subclasses. One of the largest of these is the class of Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) which have been suggested to originate from pure deflagrations in CO Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs (WDs). Although a few deflagration studies have been carried out, the full diversity of the class is not captured yet. We therefore present a parameter study of single-spot ignited deflagrations with varying ignition locations, central densities, metallicities and comp…
We present UV through NIR broad-band photometry, and optical and NIR spectroscopy of Type Iax supernova 2012Z. The data set consists of both early and late-time observations, including the first late phase NIR spectrum obtained for a spectroscopically classified SN Iax. Simple model calculations of its bolometric light curve suggest SN 2012Z produced ~0.3 M_sun of (56)Ni, ejected about a Chandrasekhar mass of material, and had an explosion energy of ~10^51 erg, making it one of the brightest and most energetic SN Iax yet observed. The late phase NIR spectrum of SN 2012Z is found to broadly res…
Type Iax supenovae (SNe Iax) are an important sub-luminous class of SNe Ia. However, their progenitors and explosion mechanism have not been understood yet. It has been suggested that SNe Iax may be produced from weak deflagration explosions of Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs (WDs) in binary systems with a helium (He) star donor. In such progenitor systems, the stripped He companion material caused by the ejecta-companion interaction is expected to present some He features in their late-time spectra. However, the detection of He lines in late-time spectra of SNe Iax has not yet been successful…
Type Iax supernovae (SN Iax), also called SN 2002cx-like supernovae, are the largest class of peculiar white dwarf (thermonuclear) supernovae, with over fifty members known. SN Iax have lower ejecta velocity and lower luminosities, and these parameters span a much wider range, than normal type Ia supernovae (SN Ia). SN Iax are spectroscopically similar to some SN Ia near maximum light, but are unique among all supernovae in their late-time spectra, which never become fully nebular. SN Iax overwhelmingly occur in late-type host galaxies, implying a relatively young population. The SN Iax 2012Z …
Recent observations have shown a remarkable diversity of observational behaviors and explosion mechanisms in thermonuclear supernovae (SNe). An emerging class of peculiar thermonuclear SNe, called Type Iax, show photometric and spectroscopic behaviors distinct from normal Type Ia. Their origin remains highly controversial, but pure turbulent deflagration of white dwarfs (WDs) has been regarded as the leading formation theory. The large population of Type Iax indicates the existence of unidentified Galactic Type Iax supernova remnants (SNRs). We report evidence that SNR Sgr A East in the Galact…
Recent observational evidence has demonstrated that white dwarf (WD) mergers are a highly efficient mechanism for mass accretion onto WDs in the galaxy. In this paper, we show that WD mergers naturally produce highly-magnetized, uniformly-rotating WDs, including a substantial population within a narrow mass range close to the Chandrasekhar mass ($M_{\rm Ch}$). These near-$M_{\rm Ch}$ WD mergers subsequently undergo rapid spin up and compression on a $\sim 10^2$ yr timescale, either leading to central ignition and a normal SN Ia via the DDT mechanism, or alternatively to a failed detonation and…
Growing evidence suggests that Type Iax supernovae might be the result of thermonuclear deflagrations of Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs in binary systems. We carry out Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations and predict spectropolarimetric features originating from the supernova explosion and subsequent ejecta interaction with the companion star. Specifically, we calculate viewing-angle dependent flux and polarisation spectra for a 3D model simulating the deflagration of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf and, for a second model, simulating the ejecta interaction with a main-sequence star. W…
The nature of the progenitors and explosion mechanism of Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) remain a mystery. The single-degenerate (SD) systems that involve the incomplete pure deflagration explosions of near-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs (WDs) have recently been proposed for producing SNe Iax, in which non-degenerate companions are expected to survive from SN explosions. In this work we concentrate on the main-sequence (MS) donor SD progenitor systems. By mapping the computed companion models from three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of ejecta-companion interaction into a one-dimensiona…
Recent studies have suggested that type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) are likely to result from a weak deflagration explosion of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf in a binary system with a helium (He)-star companion. Assuming that most SNe Iax are produced from this scenario, in this work we extend our previous work on the three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation of ejecta-companion interaction by taking the orbital and spin velocities of the progenitor system into account. We then follow the post-impact evolution of a surviving He-star companion by using the one-dimensional stellar evolution cod…
Supernovae of Type Iax (SNe Iax) are an accepted faint subclass of hydrogen-free supernovae. Their origin, the nature of the progenitor systems, however, is an open question. Recent studies suggest that the weak deflagration explosion of a near-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf in a binary system with a helium star donor could be the origin of SNe Iax. In this scenario, the helium star donor is expected to survive the explosion. We use the one-dimensional stellar evolution codes \textsc{MESA} and \textsc{Kepler} to follow the post-impact evolution of the surviving helium companion stars. The stel…
The most commonly accepted progenitor system for Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) is the partial deflagration of a near-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf (WD) accreting from a non-degenerate helium donor star, leaving a bound remnant following the explosion. In this paper, we investigate whether the WD remant can undergo multiple SNe during the system's lifetime. We use Modules for Experiments in Astrophysics (MESA) to evolve various single-degenerate binaries to determine which could plausibly undergo multiple SNe Iax due to multiple helium accretion phases. We also investigate the possibility for …
Type-Iax supernovae (SN Iax) are stellar explosions that are spectroscopically similar to some type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia) at maximum light, except with lower ejecta velocities. They are also distinguished by lower luminosities. At late times, their spectroscopic properties diverge from other SN, but their composition (dominated by iron-group and intermediate-mass elements) suggests a physical connection to normal SN Ia. These are not rare; SN Iax occur at a rate between 5 and 30% of the normal SN Ia rate. The leading models for SN Iax are thermonuclear explosions of accreting carbon-oxygen whi…
Stellar evolution models predict the existence of hybrid white dwarfs (WDs) with a carbon-oxygen core surrounded by an oxygen-neon mantle. Being born with masses ~1.1 Msun, hybrid WDs in a binary system may easily approach the Chandrasekhar mass (MCh) by accretion and give rise to a thermonuclear explosion. Here, we investigate an off-centre deflagration in a near-MCh hybrid WD under the assumption that nuclear burning only occurs in carbon-rich material. Performing hydrodynamics simulations of the explosion and detailed nucleosynthesis post-processing calculations, we find that only 0.014 Msu…
We present two-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations of near-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf (WD) models for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) using the turbulent deflagration model with deflagration-detonation transition (DDT). We perform a parameter survey for 41 models to study the effects of the initial central density (i.e., WD mass), metallicity, flame shape, DDT criteria, and turbulent flame formula for a much wider parameter space than earlier studies. The final isotopic abundances of $^{11}$C to $^{91}$Tc in these simulations are obtained by post-process nucleosynthesis calculations. The sur…
We present results based on observations of SN 2015H which belongs to the small group of objects similar to SN 2002cx, otherwise known as type Iax supernovae. The availability of deep pre-explosion imaging allowed us to place tight constraints on the explosion epoch. Our observational campaign began approximately one day post-explosion, and extended over a period of about 150 days post maximum light, making it one of the best observed objects of this class to date. We find a peak magnitude of M$_r$ = -17.27 $\pm$ 0.07, and a ($Δm_{15})_r$ = 0.69 $\pm$ 0.04. Comparing our observations to synthe…
We present multi-wavelength follow-up observations of the ATLAS discovered faint Iax supernova SN 2020kyg that peaked at an absolute magnitude of $M_g \approx -14.9 \pm 0.2$, making it another member of the faint Iax supernova population. The bolometric light curve requires only $\approx 7 \times 10^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$ of radioactive $^{56}$Ni, with an ejected mass of $M_{\rm ej} \sim 0.4$ M$_{\odot}$ and a low kinetic energy of $E \approx 0.05 \pm 0.02 \times 10^{51}$ erg. We construct a homogeneous volume-limited sample of 902 transients observed by ATLAS within 100 Mpc during a 3.5 year span.…
Recent observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have shown diversified properties of the explosion strength, light curves and chemical composition. To investigate possible origins of such diversities in SNe Ia, we have presented multi-dimensional hydrodynamical study of explosions and associated nucleosynthesis in the near Chandrasekhar mass carbon-oxygen (CO) white dwarfs (WDs) for a wide range of parameters (Leung and Nomoto 2018 ApJ). In the present paper, we extend our wide parameter survey of models to the explosions of sub-Chandrasekhar mass CO WDs. We take the double detonation model…
What the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are, whether they are near-Chandrasekhar mass or sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, has been the matter of debate for decades. Various observational hints are supporting both models as the main progenitors. In this paper, we review the explosion physics and the chemical abundance patterns of SNe Ia from these two classes of progenitors. We will discuss how the observational data of SNe Ia, their remnants, the Milky Way Galaxy, and galactic clusters can help us to determine the essential features where numerical models of SNe Ia need to matc…
We present optical photometric and spectroscopic analysis of a Type Iax supernova (SN) 2020rea situated at the brighter luminosity end of Type Iax supernovae (SNe). The light curve decline rate of SN~2020rea is $Δ$m$_{15}$(g) = 1.31$\pm$0.08 mag which is similar to SNe 2012Z and 2005hk. Modelling the pseudo bolometric light curve with a radiation diffusion model yields a mass of $^{56}$Ni of 0.13$\pm$0.01 M$_{\odot}$ and an ejecta mass of 0.77$^{+0.11}_{-0.21}$ M$_{\odot}$. Spectral features of SN~2020rea during the photospheric phase show good resemblance with SN 2012Z. TARDIS modelling of th…
The dynamics of helium shell convection driven by nuclear burning establish the conditions for runaway in the sub-Chandrasekhar mass, double detonation model for Type Ia supernovae, as well as for a variety of other explosive phenomena. We explore these convection dynamics for a range of white dwarf core and helium shell masses in three dimensions using the low Mach number hydrodynamics code Maestro. We present calculations of the bulk properties of this evolution, including time-series evolution of global diagnostics, lateral averages of the 3D state, and the global 3D state. We find a variet…
Unveiling SN 2022eyw: A Bright Member of the Type Iax Supernova Subclass
Indian Institute of Astrophysics（印度天体物理研究所）；Pondicherry University（本地治里大学）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University（密歇根州立大学物理与天文学系）；Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学李政道研究所）
SN 2022eyw是Iax型超新星中明亮成员，其光谱和光度学特征表明其起源于部分熄火的Chandrasekhar质量白矮星。
Recent discovery of several overluminous type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) indicates that the explosive masses of white dwarfs may significantly exceed the canonical Chandrasekhar mass limit. Rapid differential rotation may support these massive white dwarfs. Based on the single-degenerate scenario, and assuming that the white dwarfs would differentially rotate when the accretion rate $\dot{M}>3\times 10^{-7}M_{\odot}\rm yr^{-1}$, employing Eggleton's stellar evolution code we have performed the numerical calculations for $\sim$ 1000 binary systems consisting of a He star and a CO white dwarf (WD). …
Type Iax supernovae represent the largest class of peculiar white-dwarf supernovae. The type Iax SN~2012Z in NGC 1309 is the only white dwarf supernova with a detected progenitor system in pre-explosion observations. Deep \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} images taken before SN~2012Z show a luminous, blue source that we have interpreted as a helium-star companion (donor) to the exploding white dwarf. We present here late-time \textit{HST} observations taken $\sim$1400 days after the explosion to test this model. We find the SN light curve can empirically be fit by an exponential decay model in m…
First-Principles Turbulence-Driven Deflagration-to-Detonation Transition Mechanism for Near-Chandrasekhar Mass White Dwarf Progenitors
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth（麻省大学达特茅斯分校）；University of Connecticut, School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering（康涅狄格大学机械、航空航天与制造工程学院）；Naval Research Laboratory, Laboratories for Computational Physics & Fluid Dynamics（海军研究实验室计算物理与流体动力学实验室）；University of Maryland, Physical Sciences Complex, Stadium Drive（马里兰大学）；Universität Heidelberg, Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik（海德堡大学天文学中心理论天体物理学研究所）
Can a white dwarf, accreting hydrogen-rich matter from a non-degenerate companion star, ever exceed the Chandrasekhar mass and explode as a type Ia supernova? We explore the range of accretion rates that allow a white dwarf (WD) to secularly grow in mass, and derive limits on the accretion rate and on the initial mass that will allow it to reach $1.4M_\odot$ --- the Chandrasekhar mass. We follow the evolution through a long series of hydrogen flashes, during which a thick helium shell accumulates. This determines the effective helium mass accretion rate for long-term, self-consistent evolution…
Recently, a new class of supernovae Ia was discovered: the supernovae Iax; the increasing sample of these objects share common features as lower maximum-light velocities and typically lower peak magnitudes. In our scenario, the progenitors of the SNe Iax are very massive white dwarfs, possibly hybrid C+O+Ne white dwarfs; due to the accretion from a binary companion, they reach the Chandrasekhar mass and undergo a central carbon deflagration, but the deflagration is quenched when it reaches the outer O +Ne layer. This class of SNe Ia are expected to be rarer than standard SNe Ia and do not affe…
The guest star of AD 1181 is the only historical supernova of the last millennium that is without a definite counterpart. The previously proposed association with supernova remnant 3C58 is in strong doubt because of the inferred age of this remnant. Here we report a new identification of SN 1181 with our codiscovery of the hottest known Wolf Rayet star of the Oxygen sequence (dubbed Parkers star) and its surrounding nebula Pa 30. Our spectroscopy of the nebula shows a fast shock with extreme velocities of approx. 1,100kms. The derived expansion age of the nebula implies an explosive event appr…
Context. Recently, new sub-classes of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) were discovered, including SNe Iax. The suggested progenitors of SNe Iax are relatively massive, possibly hybrid C+O+Ne white dwarfs, which can cause white dwarf winds at low metallicities. There is another class that can potentially occur at low or zero metallicities; sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosions in single and/or double degenerate systems of standard C+O white dwarfs. These explosions have different nucleosynthesis yields compared to the normal, Chandrasekhar mass explosions. Aims. We test these SN Ia channels using their …
Recent extensive observations of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) have revealed the existence of a diversity of SNe Ia, including SNe Iax. We introduce two possible channels in the single degenerate scenario: 1) double detonations in sub-Chandrasekhar (Ch) mass CO white dwarfs (WDs), where a thin He envelope is developed with relatively low accretion rates after He novae even at low metallicities, and 2) carbon deflagrations in Ch-mass possibly hybrid C+O+Ne WDs, where WD winds occur at [Fe/H] ~ -2.5 at high accretion rates. These subclasses of SNe Ia are rarer than `normal' SNe Ia and do not affec…
Optical transients from non-explosive double white-dwarf mergers: the case of a central neutron star remnant
Università degli Studi di Ferrara（费拉拉大学）；ICRANet（国际相对论天体物理中心网络）；Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo（圣埃斯皮里图联邦大学）；INFN - Sezione di Ferrara（意大利国家核物理研究所费拉拉分部）；INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo（意大利国家天体物理研究所阿布鲁佐天文台）；INAF - Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna（意大利国家天体物理研究所博洛尼亚天体物理与空间科学观测站）
Supernova Ia are bright explosive events that can be used to estimate cosmological distances, allowing us to study the expansion of the Universe. They are understood to result from a thermonuclear detonation in a white dwarf that formed from the exhausted core of a star more massive than the Sun. However, the possible progenitor channels leading to an explosion are a long-standing debate, limiting the precision and accuracy of supernova Ia as distance indicators. Here we present HD265435, a binary system with an orbital period of less than a hundred minutes, consisting of a white dwarf and a h…
In accreting WDs approaching the Chandrasekhar limit, hydrostatic carbon burning precedes the dynamical breakout. During this \textit{simmering} phase, $e-$captures are energetically favored in the central region of the star, while $β-$decays are favored more outside, and the two zones are connected by a growing convective instability. We analyze the interplay between weak interactions and convection, the so-called convective URCA process, during the simmering phase of SNe Ia progenitors and its effects on the physical and chemical properties at the explosion epoch. At variance with previous s…
Over the past decades, many explosion scenarios for Type Ia supernovae have been proposed and investigated including various combinations of deflagrations and detonations in white dwarfs of different masses up to the Chandrasekhar mass. One of these is the gravitationally confined detonation model. In this case a weak deflagration burns to the surface, wraps around the bound core, and collides at the antipode. A subsequent detonation is then initiated in the collision area. Since the parameter space for this scenario, that is, varying central densities and ignition geometries, has not been stu…
SN 2025qe: A case study of diversity in low-luminosity thermonuclear explosions
Indian Institute of Astrophysics（印度天体物理研究所）；Pondicherry University（本地治里大学）；National Central University（中央大学）；Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology（萨达尔·瓦拉巴伊国立理工学院）；Indian Institute of Technology Bombay（孟买印度理工学院）
For carbon-oxygen white dwarfs accreting hydrogen or helium at rates in the range ~1-10 x 10^(-8) Msun/y, a variety of explosive outcomes is possible well before the star reaches the Chandrasekhar mass. These outcomes are surveyed for a range of white dwarf masses (0.7 - 1.1 Msun), accretion rates (1 - 7 x 10^(-8) Msun/y), and initial white dwarf temperatures (0.01 and 1 Lsun). The results are particularly sensitive to the convection that goes on during the last few minutes before the explosion. Unless this convection maintains a shallow temperature gradient, and unless the density is sufficie…
Young supernova remnants (SNRs) provide a unique perspective on supernova (SN) progenitors and connect the late evolution of SNe with the onset of the SNR phase. Here we study SN 1885A and G1.9+0.3, the most recent thermonuclear SNe in the Local Group (with ages $\sim 100$ years) with radio data, which provides a sensitive probe of the SN environment and energetics. We reduce and co-add 4-8 GHz observations from Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to produce the deepest radio image of the M31 central region (RMS noise of 1.3 $μ$Jy/beam at 6.2 GHz). We detect some diffuse emission near SN 188…
White dwarfs (WDs) are believed to detonate via explosive Carbon-fusion in a Type Ia Supernova when their temperature and/or density reach the point where Carbon is ignited in a runaway reaction. Observations of the Type Ia supernova (SN) rate imply all WD binaries that merge through the emission of gravitational radiation within a Hubble time should result in SNe, regardless of total mass. Here we investigate the conditions under which a single WD in a binary system might extract energy from its orbit, depositing enough energy into a resonant mode such that it detonates before merger. We show…
Abridged. In the double detonation scenario for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) a detonation initiates in a shell of He-rich material accreted from a companion star by a sub-Chandrasekhar-mass White Dwarf (WD). This shell detonation drives a shock front into the carbon-oxygen (C/O) WD that triggers a secondary detonation in the core. The core detonation results in a complete disruption of the WD. Earlier studies concluded that this scenario has difficulties in accounting for the observed properties of SNe Ia since the explosion ejecta are surrounded by the products of explosive He burning in the s…
Observational constraints on the origin of the elements. V. Non-LTE abundance ratios of [Ni/Fe] in Galactic stars and enrichment by sub-Chandrasekhar mass SNe
We place statistical constraints on Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) progenitors using 227 nebular phase spectra of 111 SNe Ia. We find no evidence of stripped companion emission in any of the nebular phase spectra. Upper limits are placed on the amount of mass that could go undetected in each spectrum using recent hydrodynamic simulations. With these null detections, we place an observational $3σ$ upper limit on the fraction of SNe Ia that are produced through the classical H-rich non-degenerate companion scenario of < 5.5%. Additionally, we set a tentative $3σ$ upper limit on He star progenitor sce…
(abridged) When stripped from their hydrogen-rich envelopes, stars with initial masses between $\sim$7 and 11 M$_\odot$ develop massive degenerate cores and collapse. Depending on the final structure and composition, the outcome can range from a thermonuclear explosion, to the formation of a neutron star in an electron-capture supernova (ECSN). It has been recently demonstrated that stars in this mass range may initiate explosive oxygen burning when their central densities are still below $ρ_{\rm c} \lesssim 10^{9.6}$ g cm$^{-3}$. This makes them interesting candidates for type Ia supernovae -…
We present a new photometric identification technique for SN 1991bg-like type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), i.e. objects with light-curve characteristics such as later primary maxima and absence of secondary peak in redder filters. This method is capable of selecting out this sub-group from the normal type Ia population. Furthermore, we find that recently identified peculiar sub-types such as SNe Iax and super-Chandrasekhar SNe Ia have similar photometric characteristics as 91bg-like SNe Ia, namely the absence of secondary maxima and shoulders at longer wavelengths, and can also be classified with o…
If accreting white dwarfs (WD) in binary systems are to produce type Ia supernovae (SNIa), they must grow to nearly the Chandrasekhar mass and ignite carbon burning. Proving conclusively that a WD has grown substantially since its birth is a challenging task. Slow accretion of hydrogen inevitably leads to the erosion, rather than the growth of WDs. Rapid hydrogen accretion does lead to growth of a helium layer, due to both decreased degeneracy and the inhibition of mixing of the accreted hydrogen with the underlying WD. However, until recently, simulations of helium-accreting WDs all claimed t…
At present, there are strong indications that white dwarf (WD) stars with masses well below the Chandrasekhar limit (MCh ~ 1.4 Msun) contribute a significant fraction of SN Ia progenitors. The relative fraction of stable iron-group elements synthesized in the explosion has been suggested as a possible discriminant between MCh and sub-MCh events. In particular, it is thought that the higher-density ejecta of MCh WDs, which favours the synthesis of stable isotopes of nickel, results in prominent [Ni II] lines in late-time spectra. We study the explosive nucleosynthesis of stable nickel in SNe Ia…
The absorption feature O I 7773 is an important spectral indicator for type Ia supernovae (SNe~Ia) that can be used to trace the unburned material at outer layers of the exploding white dwarf. In this work, we use a large sample of SNe~Ia to examine this absorption at early phases (i.e., -13 days <t <-7 days), and make comparisons with the absorption features of Si~II 6355 and Ca~II near-infrared (NIR) triplet. We show that for a subgroup of spectroscopically normal SNe with normal photospheric velocities (i.e., v_si < 12,500 km s^{-1} at optical maximum), the line strength of high velocity fe…
Type Ia supernovae are cosmic distance indicators, and the main source of iron in the Universe, but their formation paths are still debated. Several dozen supersoft X-ray sources, in which a white dwarf accretes hydrogen-rich matter from a non-degenerate donor star, have been observed and suggested as Type Ia supernovae progenitors. However, observational evidence for hydrogen, which is expected to be stripped off the donor star during the supernova explosion, is lacking. Helium-accreting white dwarfs, which would circumvent this problem, have been predicted for more than 30 years, also includ…
Novae have been reported as transients for more than two thousand years. Their bright optical outbursts are the result of explosive nuclear burning of gas accreted from a binary companion onto a white dwarf. Novae containing a white dwarf close to the Chandrasekhar mass limit and accreting at a high rate are potentially the unknown progenitors of the type Ia supernovae used to measure the acceleration of the Universe. Swift X-ray observations have radically transformed our view of novae by providing dense monitoring throughout the outburst, revealing new phenomena in the super-soft X-rays from…
White dwarfs accreting from helium stars can stably burn at the accreted rate and avoid the challenge of mass loss associated with unstable Helium burning that is a concern for many Type Ia supernovae scenarios. We study binaries with helium stars of mass $1.25 M_\odot\le M_{\rm{He}} \le 1.8 M_\odot$, which have lost their hydrogen rich envelopes in an earlier common envelope event and now orbit with periods ($P_{\rm orb}$) of several hours with non-rotating $0.84$ and $1.0 M_\odot$ C/O WDs. The helium stars fill their Roche lobes (RLs) after exhaustion of central helium and donate helium on t…
We present BVRI and unfiltered light curves of 93 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) follow-up program conducted between 2005 and 2018. Our sample consists of 78 spectroscopically normal SNe Ia, with the remainder divided between distinct subclasses (three SN 1991bg-like, three SN 1991T-like, four SNe Iax, two peculiar, and three super-Chandrasekhar events), and has a median redshift of 0.0192. The SNe in our sample have a median coverage of 16 photometric epochs at a cadence of 5.4 days, and the median first observed epoch is ~4.6 days before maximum…
In our quest to identify the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), we first update the nucleosynthesis yields both for near-Chandrasekhar (Ch) and sub-Ch mass white dwarfs (WDs), for a wide range of metallicity, with our two-dimensional hydrodynamical code and the latest nuclear reaction rates. We then include the yields in our galactic chemical evolution code to predict the evolution of elemental abundances in the solar neighborhood and dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies: Fornax, Sculptor, Sextans, and Carina. In the observations of the solar neighborhood stars, Mn shows an opposite trend…
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are believed to be a thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf, but the mass of their progenitors is still an open problem. In near-Chandrasekhar-mass (near-M_Ch) models of SNe Ia, the central density reaches >10^9 g cm^{-3}. The electron chemical potential becomes higher than the Q-values of electron capture (EC) transitions between fp-shell nuclei, so a portion of the available electrons is captured by iron group elements and thus neutron-rich isotopes are formed. Since EC reaction rates are sensitive to the density, the degree of neutronization is a key to disting…
We present final natural system optical (ugriBV) and near-infrared (YJH) photometry of 134 supernovae (SNe) with probable white dwarf progenitors that were observed in 2004-2009 as part of the first stage of the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP-I). The sample consists of 123 Type Ia SNe, 5 Type Iax SNe, 2 super-Chandrasekhar SN candidates, 2 Type Ia SNe interacting with circumstellar matter, and 2 SN 2006bt-like events. The redshifts of the objects range from z = 0.0037 to 0.0835; the median redshift is 0.0241. For 120 (90%) of these SNe, near-infrared photometry was obtained. Average optical e…
