Kavli Affiliate: Lars Bildsten
| First 5 Authors: Gabriel Kumar, Gabriel Kumar, , ,
| Summary:
Supernovae in binary star systems involve a hydrodynamical interaction
between the ejecta and a binary companion. This collision results in shock
heating and a modified density structure for the ejecta, both of which affect
the light curve. As highlighted by Kasen, these considerations are particularly
relevant for type Ia supernovae, as the companion is expected to be Roche-lobe
filling at the time of the explosion. We simulate here the interaction between
type Ia supernova ejecta and a white dwarf donor using Athena++, finding the
formation of a low-density wake extending to higher velocities than the
unperturbed ejecta. Radiation hydrodynamics is then used to generate synthetic
light curves for the first day after the explosion for a range of viewing
angles. We find that the hot, high-velocity, shocked ejecta yields $L>10^40$
ergs/s over half the sky in the first few hours. The photosphere within the
shock-heated ejecta cools and recedes in velocity space, partially obscuring it
from view, as heating from radioactive nickel becomes increasingly important in
driving the supernova’s luminosity. By one day after the explosion, the
luminosity measured by observers looking directly into the wake is dimmer than
that of a normal type Ia supernova by 15 percent due to the modified density
structure.
| Search Query: ArXiv Query: search_query=au:”Lars Bildsten”&id_list=&start=0&max_results=3