Type Ia supernova progenitors: a contemporary view of a long-standing puzzle

Abstract Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are runaway thermonuclear explosions in white dwarfs that result in the disruption of the white dwarf star, and possibly its nearby stellar companion. SNe Ia occur over an immense range of stellar population age and host galaxy environments, and play a critical role in the nucleosynthesis of intermediate-mass and iron-group elements, primarily the production of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, and manganese. Though the nature of their progenitors is still not well-understood, SNe Ia are unique among stellar explosions in that the majority of them exhibit a systematic lightcurve relation: more luminous supernovae dim more slowly over time than less luminous supernovae in…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: 1748958
• UO
  University of New South Wales
• AR
  Australian Research Council

  Award: FT170100243
• KI
  Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

  Awards: 1748958, PHY-1748958