Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aspc..372..375t&link_type=abstract
15th European Workshop on White Dwarfs ASP Conference Series, Vol. 372, proceedings of the conference held 7-11 August, 2006 in
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
1
Scientific paper
Type Ia supernovae are identified as exploding degenerate stars. Their luminosity is due to the radioactive decay of about a solar mass of 56Ni through 56Co to 56Fe. As such they are a major source of iron in the interstellar medium. Although it is generally accepted that a degenerate carbon/oxygen white dwarf explodes as it accretes material from a binary companion, the progenitors of type Ia supernovae have not been categorically identified. We discuss the various possible progenitors and indicate theoretical and observational difficulties with each possibility. It may well be that the true nature of the progenitors has not yet even been conceived of. If a single star between about 1.4 and 7 M_&sun; is allowed to evolve without mass loss then it develops a degenerate carbon/oxygen core that ignites in a thermonuclear runaway when it reaches 1.38 M_&sun;. Such an explosion, hidden within a massive envelope would appear as a type II supernova to a distant observer. We investigate what mass-loss rates would be necessary to reach this critical core mass when almost no hydrogen envelope remains so that such single stars could end their lives as type Ia supernovae.
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