Imaging the Chemical Distribution in Type Ia SN Ejecta

Details Imaging the Chemical Distribution in Type Ia SN Ejecta Imaging the Chemical Distribution in Type Ia SN Ejecta

Jul 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004hst..prop10118f&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #10118

Physics

Hst Proposal Id #10118 Ism

Scientific paper

We know Type Ia supernovae are thermonuclear explosions of CO white dwarfs, but we don't know the specifics of how the nuclear burning process proceeds from the core outward once it starts. The thermonuclear instability is thought to start off as a subsonic, turbulent deflagration or burning wave but then, at some point, may transition into a blast or detonation wave. In such "delayed detonation" models, differences between normal and subluminous Type Ia SNe reflect differences in the amount of burning that has occurred in the pre-detonation phase. More burning helps to pre-expand the WD before passage of the detontation wave, which then results in different final element abundances and internal Fe-rich ejecta structure. Directly imaging the 2-D chemical distribution of ejecta from a Type Ia SN is actually possible in the case of the subluminous Type Ia SN 1885, which occurred on the near-side of M31's central bulge. This 119 year old remnant is visible -- from its core to its outer edge -- via strong optical/UV Ca and Fe line absorptions. Remarkably, the SNR appears to still be in a nearly free expansion phase, meaning that the elemental stratification seen present today accurately reflects SN Ia explosive nucleosynthesis physics. We propose to obtain ACS WFC/HRC images of SN 1885 in order to take advantage of this extraordinary situation: Having a young, nearby Type Ia SN remnant visible in silhouette against a galaxy-size light table. These unique observations will reveal a SN Ia's Ca and Fe ejecta distribution, density structure, sphericity, and ionization state as a function of expansion velocity, thereby confronting various SN Ia models with detailed ejecta stratification and expansion velocity maps.

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