Early emission from type Ia supernovae

Itay Rabinak*, Eli Livne, Eli Waxman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

A unique feature of deflagration-to-detonation (DDT) white dwarf explosion models of supernovae of type Ia is the presence of a strong shock wave propagating through the outer envelope. We consider the early emission expected in such models, which is produced by the expanding shock-heated outer part of the ejecta and precedes the emission driven by radioactive decay. We expand on earlier analyses by considering the modification of the pre-detonation density profile by the weak shocks generated during the deflagration phase, the time evolution of the opacity, and the deviation of the post-shock equation of state from that obtained for radiation pressure domination. A simple analytic model is presented and shown to provide an acceptable approximation to the results of one-dimensional numerical DDT simulations. Our analysis predicts a ∼10 3 s long UV/optical flash with a luminosity of ∼1 to ∼3 × 1039 erg s-1. Lower luminosity corresponds to faster (turbulent) deflagration velocity. The luminosity of the UV flash is predicted to be strongly suppressed at t > tdrop ∼1 hr due to the deviation from pure radiation domination.

Original languageEnglish
Article number35
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume757
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 20 Sep 2012

Keywords

  • shock waves
  • stars: evolution
  • supernovae: general
  • supernovae: individual (Ia)
  • white dwarfs

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