Deflagrations and detonations in thermonuclear supernovae. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • We study a type Ia supernova explosion using three-dimensional numerical simulations based on reactive fluid dynamics. We consider a delayed-detonation model that assumes a deflagration-to-detonation transition. In contrast with the pure deflagration model, the delayed-detonation model releases enough energy to account for a healthy explosion, and does not leave carbon, oxygen, and intermediate-mass elements in central parts of a white dwarf. This removes the key disagreement between simulations and observations, and makes a delayed detonation the mostly likely mechanism for type Ia supernovae.

published proceedings

  • Phys Rev Lett

altmetric score

  • 3.25

author list (cited authors)

  • Gamezo, V. N., Khokhlov, A. M., & Oran, E. S.

citation count

  • 112

complete list of authors

  • Gamezo, Vadim N||Khokhlov, Alexei M||Oran, Elaine S

publication date

  • May 2004