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A.C. Calder, T. Plewa, N. Vladimirova, E.F. Brown, D.Q. Lamb, K. Robinson, J.W. Truran (ASCI Flash Center, University of Chicago)
We present multidimensional simulations of deflagrating Chandrasekhar-mass C/O white dwarfs for both centered and off-centered ignition. Type Ia supernovae are thought to be thermonuclear explosions of Chandrasekhar-mass C/O white dwarfs. These events are used as ``standard candles" for investigating the structure of the Universe and play a fundamental role in galactic chemical evolution. Despite their importance, the exact nature of the explosion mechanism remains unsolved. Observations of intermediate mass elements such as Si, S, Mg indicate that the explosion begins as a deflagration. Our simulations utilize a custom implementation of the ``thick flame" model of Khokhlov for the sub-grid-scale nuclear flame. We present results of an extensive 1- and 2-dimensional parameter study of these events. We present three-dimensional whole-star deflagrations investigating the effect of centered vs. off-center ignition. Our results indicate that a slightly off-center ignition leads to a result that is not compatible with observations, providing constraints on conditions in the central region of the white dwarf prior to ignition.
This work was supported by the DOE ASCI/Alliances program at the University of Chicago under grant No. B341495.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: calder@flash.uchicago.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.