Modeling Type Ia Supernova Explosions

Mike Guidry, University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Type Ia supernova explosions are among the most energetic events observed in the Universe. They result from the runaway thermonuclear burning of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf on a timescale of approximately one second, and can outshine an entire galaxy of normal stars for a period of time. In addition to the intrinsic interest in establishing their mechanism, the standardizable candle properties of Type Ia supernovae make them critical tools in modern cosmology, so an improved understanding of these events has cosmological implications. I will discuss our efforts to improve the simulation of these events using 3D radiation hydrodynamics and realistic thermonuclear burning networks.

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Additional Resources:

Explicit Methods in the Nuclear Burning Problem for Supernova Ia Models, Viktor Chupryna (doctoral thesis; 1.3 MB).

Type Ia Supernovae (exerpt from draft chapter of An Introduction to Stars, Stellar Evolution, and Galaxies, M. W. Guidry (unpublished; 50 kB)).