Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: The observable properties of a Type Ia supernova are sensitive to how the nuclear runaway ignites in a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf: at a single point at its center, off-center, or at multiple points and times. We present a simple analytic model for the runaway guided by a combination of stellar mixing-length theory and analogy to Rayleigh-Benard convection. The convective flow just prior to runaway is likely to have a strong dipolar component, although this dipole may be unstable at the very high Rayleigh number (10 25 ) appropriate to the white dwarf core. A likely outcome is multipoint ignition with an exponentially increasing number of ignition points during the few tenths of a second that it takes the runaway to develop. The first sparks ignite approximately 150-200 km off-center, followed by ignition at smaller radii. Rotation may be important to break the dipole asymmetry of the ignition and give a healthy explosion.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
DOI: 10.1086/383530
Authors: S. E. Woosley, S. Wunsch, M. Kuhlen
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1964012117