Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass Models For Type Ia Supernovae

Understand

For carbon-oxygen white dwarfs accreting hydrogen or helium at rates in the range ~1-10 x 10^(-8) Msun/y, a variety of explosive outcomes is possible well before the star reaches the Chandrasekhar mass.

• These outcomes are surveyed for a range of white dwarf masses (0.7 - 1.1 Msun), accretion rates (1 - 7 x 10^(-8) Msun/y), and initial white dwarf temperatures (0.01 and 1 Lsun).
• The results are particularly sensitive to the convection that goes on during the last few minutes before the explosion.
• Unless this convection maintains a shallow temperature gradient, and unless the density is sufficiently high, the accreted helium does not detonate.