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M. Zingale, S. E. Woosley (UCSC), A. S. Almgren, J. B. Bell, M. S. Day, C. A. Rendleman (LBNL)
A carbon flame must accelerate tremendously on its journey from the center of a white dwarf to the surface to explain Type Ia supernova explosions. We discuss the role of turbulence and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in accelerating flames using three-dimensional simulations. A low Mach number hydrodynamics method is used, freeing us from the harsh timestep restrictions imposed by sound waves. We fully resolve the thermal structure of the flame and its reaction zone, eliminating the need for a flame model. Diagnostics show that the turbulence is Kolmogorov in nature and anisotropic on the large scales, but becomes isotropic as it cascades down to smaller and smaller scales. We use this as the motivation for follow-up calculations of turbulent thermonuclear flames under more controlled conditions. Preliminary results of these calculations are discussed.
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The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: zingale@ucolick.org
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #2
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.