Spectropolarimetric diagnostics of thermonuclear supernova explosions
Astrophysics
2009-11-11 v1
Abstract
Even at extragalactic distances, the shape of supernova ejecta can be effectively diagnosed by spectropolarimetry. We present here results for 17 Type Ia supernovae that allow a statistical study of the correlation among the geometric structures and other observable parameters of Type Ia supernovae. These observations suggest that their ejecta typically consist of a smooth, central iron rich core and an outer layer with chemical asymmetries. The degree of this peripheral asphericity is correlated with the light-curve decline rate of Type Ia supernovae. These observations lend strong support to delayed-detonation models of Type Ia supernovae.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0611902,
title = {Spectropolarimetric diagnostics of thermonuclear supernova explosions},
author = {Lifan Wang and Dietrich Baade and Ferdinando Patat},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0611902},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
To Appear in Science