Search

Binary systems made by a low-mass CO WD and a He-donor represent possible progenitors of explosive events via He-detonation, producing low-luminosity thermonuclear Supernovae with a peculiar nucleosynthetis. Recently, the binary system PTF J223857.11+743015.1 has been suggested as one. We investigate the evolution of the PTF J223857.11+743015.1 system, composed by a 0.75Msun CO WD and a 0.390Msun subdwarf, capped by a thin H-rich layer, considering rotation of the WD component. We compute the evolution of two stars simultaneously, accounting for the possible evolution of the orbital parameters, as determined by mass transfer between components and by mass ejection from the system during RLOF episodes. We consider that the WD gains angular momentum due to accretion and we follow the evolution of the angular velocity profile as due to angular momentum transport via convection and rotation-induced instabilities. As the donor H-rich envelope is transferred, the WD experiences recurrent very strong H-flashes triggering RLOF episodes during which the entire accreted matter is lost from the system. Due to mixing of chemicals by rotation-induced instabilities during the accretion phase, H-flashes occur inside the original WD. Hence, pulse-by pulse, the accretor mass is reduced down to 0.7453Msun. When He-rich matter is transferred, He-detonation does not occur in the rotating WD, which undergoes 6 very strong He-flashes and subsequent RLOF episodes. Also in this case, due to rotation-induced mixing of the accreted layers with the underlying core, the WD is eroded. Finally, when the mass transfer rate from the donor decreases, a massive He-buffer is piled-up onto the accretor which ends its life as a cooling WD. The binary system PTF J2238+743015.1 as all those binaries having similar components masses and orbital parameters are not good candidates as thermonuclear explosions progenitors., Comment: 12 Pages, 9 Figures, 3 Tables. Accepted for the publication on A&A

The nature of Type Ia Supernova (SN Ia) explosions remains an open issue, with several contending progenitor scenarios actively being considered. One such scenario involves a SN Ia explosion inside a planetary nebula (PN) in the aftermath of a stellar merger triggered by a common envelope (CE) episode. We examine this scenario using hydrodynamic and non-equilibrium ionization simulations of the interaction between the SN ejecta and the PN cocoon into the supernova remnant (SNR) phase, focusing on the impact of the delay between the CE episode and the SN explosion. We compare the bulk dynamics and X-ray spectra of our simulated SNRs to the observed properties of known Type Ia SNRs in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. We conclude that models where the SN explosion happens in the immediate aftermath of the CE episode (with a delay $\lesssim$1,000 yr) are hard to reconcile with the observations, because the interaction with the dense PN cocoon results in ionization timescales much higher than those found in any known Type Ia SNR. Models with a longer delay between the CE episode and the SN explosion ($\sim$10,000 yr) are closer to the observations, and may be able to explain the bulk properties of some Type Ia SNRs., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

The precise progenitor system of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), whether it is a white dwarf (WD) close to the Chandrasekhar limit or substantially less massive, has been a matter of debate for decades. Recent research by our group on the accretion and simmering phases preceding the explosion of a massive WD has shown that the central density at thermal runaway lies in the range $(3.6-6.3)\times10^9$ g cm$^{-3}$ for reasonable choices of accretion rate onto the WD and progenitor metallicity. In this work, we have computed one-dimensional simulations of the explosion of such WDs, with special emphasis on the chemical composition of the ejecta, which in all cases is extremely rich in neutronized isotopes of chromium ($^{54}$Cr) and titanium ($^{50}$Ti). We show that, in order to reconcile such a nucleosynthesis with the isotopic abundances of the Solar System, Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs can account for at most 26 per cent of normal-luminosity SNe Ia, or at most 20 per cent of all SNe Ia., Comment: 5 pages, 1 table, 3 figures; Letter accepted by MNRAS

The detection of the very early gamma-emission of a Type Ia supernova (SNIa) could provide a deep insight on the explosion mechanism and nature of the progenitor. However this has not been yet possible as a consequence of the expected low luminosity and the distance at which all the events have occurred up to now. A SNIa occurring in our Galaxy could provide a unique opportunity to perform such measurement. The problem is that the optical flux would probably be so attenuated by interstellar extinction that would prevent triggering the observations with gamma-spectrometers at the due time. In this paper we analyse the possibility of using the anticoincidence system (ACS) of the spectrometer SPI on board of the INTEGRAL space observatory for detecting the early gamma-ray emission of a SNIa as a function of the explosion model and distance as well as of pointing direction. Our results suggest that such detection is possible at about 6 - 12 days after the explosion and, at the same time, we can discard missing any hidden explosion during the lifetime of INTEGRAL.

In accreting WDs approaching the Chandrasekhar limit, hydrostatic carbon burning precedes the dynamical breakout. During this \textit{simmering} phase, $e-$captures are energetically favored in the central region of the star, while $\beta-$decays are favored more outside, and the two zones are connected by a growing convective instability. We analyze the interplay between weak interactions and convection, the so-called convective URCA process, during the simmering phase of SNe Ia progenitors and its effects on the physical and chemical properties at the explosion epoch. At variance with previous studies, we find that the convective core powered by the carbon burning remains confined within the ${^{21}(Ne,F)}$ URCA shell. As a result, a much larger amount of carbon has to be consumed before the explosion which eventually occurs at larger density than previously estimated. In addition, we find that the extension of the convective core and its average neutronization depend on the the WD progenitor initial metallicity. For the average neutronization in the convective core at the explosion epoch we obtain ${\overline{\eta}_{exp}} = (1.094\pm 0.143)\times 10^{-3} + (9.168\pm 0.677)\times 10^{-2}\times Z$. Outside the convective core, the neutronization is instead determined by the initial amount of C+N+O in the progenitor star. Since S, Ca, Cr and Mn, the elements usually exploited to evaluate the pre-explosive neutronization, are mainly produced outside the heavily neutronized core, the problem of too high metallicity estimated for the progenitors of the historical Tycho and Kepler SNe Ia remains unsolved., Comment: Accepted for the publication on ApJ. 26 pages, 11 figures, 5 Tables. Modified acknowledgments

Recent observational evidence has demonstrated that white dwarf (WD) mergers are a highly efficient mechanism for mass accretion onto WDs in the galaxy. In this paper, we show that WD mergers naturally produce highly-magnetized, uniformly-rotating WDs, including a substantial population within a narrow mass range close to the Chandrasekhar mass ($M_{\rm Ch}$). These near-$M_{\rm Ch}$ WD mergers subsequently undergo rapid spin up and compression on a $\sim 10^2$ yr timescale, either leading to central ignition and a normal SN Ia via the DDT mechanism, or alternatively to a failed detonation and SN Iax through pure deflagration. The resulting SNe Ia and SNe Iax will have spectra, light curves, polarimetry, and nucleosynthetic yields similar to those predicted to arise through the canonical near-$M_{\rm Ch}$ single degenerate (SD) channel, but with a $t^{-1}$ delay time distribution characteristic of the double-degenerate (DD) channel. Furthermore, in contrast to the SD channel, WD merger near-$M_{\rm Ch}$ SNe Ia and SNe Iax will not produce observable companion signatures. We discuss a range of implications of these findings, from SNe Ia explosion mechanisms, to galactic nucleosynthesis of iron peak elements including manganese., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, nucleosynthetic yields included as ancillary data files. Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal. Comments welcome

At present, there are strong indications that white dwarf (WD) stars with masses well below the Chandrasekhar limit (MCh ~ 1.4 Msun) contribute a significant fraction of SN Ia progenitors. The relative fraction of stable iron-group elements synthesized in the explosion has been suggested as a possible discriminant between MCh and sub-MCh events. In particular, it is thought that the higher-density ejecta of MCh WDs, which favours the synthesis of stable isotopes of nickel, results in prominent [Ni II] lines in late-time spectra. We study the explosive nucleosynthesis of stable nickel in SNe Ia resulting from MCh and sub-MCh progenitors. We explore the potential for lines of [Ni II] at 7378 \AA\ and 1.94 microns in late-time spectra to serve as a diagnostic of the exploding WD mass, using nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium radiative-transfer simulations with the CMFGEN code. We find that the radiative proton-capture reaction 57Co(p,gamma)58Ni is the dominant production mode for 58Ni in both MCh and sub-MCh models, while the alpha-capture reaction on 54Fe has a negligible impact on the final 58Ni yield. More importantly, we demonstrate that the lack of [Ni II] lines in late-time spectra of sub-MCh events is not always due to an under-abundance of stable Ni; rather, it results from the higher ionization of Ni in the inner ejecta. Conversely, the strong [Ni II] lines predicted in our 1D MCh models are completely suppressed when 56Ni is sufficiently mixed with the innermost layers, which are rich in stable iron-group elements. [Ni II] lines in late-time SN Ia spectra have a complex dependency on the abundance of stable Ni, which limits their use in distinguishing among MCh and sub-MCh progenitors. However, we argue that a low-luminosity SN Ia displaying strong [Ni II] lines would most likely result from a Chandrasekhar-mass progenitor. [Abridged], Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, replaced with accepted version (+ corrected a typo in the conclusions: "overabundance" replaced with "over abundance"). 20 pages, 10 figures. Model spectra available at https://zenodo.org/record/5528088

The computational requirements posed by multi-dimensional simulations of type Ia supernovae make it difficult to incorporate complex nuclear networks to follow the release of nuclear energy along with the propagation of the flame. Instead, these codes usually model the flame and use simplified nuclear kinetics, with the goal of determining a sufficiently accurate rate of nuclear energy generation and, afterwards, post-processing the thermodynamic trajectories with a large nuclear network to obtain more reliable nuclear yields. In this work, I study the performance of simplified nuclear networks with respect to reproduction of the nuclear yields obtained with a one-dimensional supernova code equipped with a large nuclear network. I start by defining a strategy to follow the properties of matter in nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE). I propose to use published tables of NSE properties, together with a careful interpolation routine. Short networks (iso7 and 13{\alpha}) are able to give an accurate yield of 56Ni, after post-processing, but can fail by order of magnitude in predicting the ejected mass of even mildly abundant species (> 0.001 solar masses). A network of 21 species reproduces the nucleosynthesis of the Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar explosions studied here with average errors better than 20% for the whole set of stable elements and isotopes followed in the models., Comment: Accepted for MNRAS, 11 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables. Revised version after referee report, with quantitative changes in Table 2 and Figure 4

{\it Chandra} X-ray observations of Kepler's supernova remnant indicate the existence of a high speed Fe-rich ejecta structure in the southwestern region. We report strong K-shell emission from Fe-peak elements (Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni), as well as Ca, in this Fe-rich structure, implying that those elements could be produced in the inner area of the exploding white dwarf. We found Ca/Fe, Cr/Fe, Mn/Fe and Ni/Fe mass ratios of 1.0--4.1\%, 1.0--4.6\%, 1--11\% and 2--30\%, respectively. In order to constrain the burning regime that could produce this structure, we compared these observed mass ratios with those in 18 one-dimensional Type Ia nucleosynthesis models (including both near-$M_{\rm Ch}$ and sub-$M_{\rm Ch}$ explosion models). The observed mass ratios agree well with those around the middle layer of incomplete Si-burning in Type Ia nucleosynthesis models with a peak temperature of $\sim$(5.0--5.3)$\times$10$^{9}$ K and a high metallicity, Z $>$ 0.0225. Based on our results, we infer the necessity for some mechanism to produce protruding Fe-rich clumps dominated by incomplete Si-burning products during the explosion. We also discuss the future perspectives of X-ray observations of Fe-rich structures in other Type Ia supernova remnants., Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Even though the main nucleosynthetic products of type Ia supernovae belong to the iron-group, intermediate-mass alpha-nuclei (silicon, sulfur, argon, and calcium) stand out in their spectra up to several weeks past maximum brightness. Recent measurements of the abundances of calcium, argon, and sulfur in type Ia supernova remnants have been interpreted in terms of metallicity-dependent oxygen burning, in accordance with previous theoretical predictions. It is known that $\alpha$-rich oxygen burning results from $^{16}$O$\rightarrow^{12}$C followed by efficient $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C fusion reaction, as compared to oxygen consumption by $^{16}$O fusion reactions, but the precise mechanism of dependence on the progenitor metallicity has remained unidentified so far. I show that the chain $^{16}$O(p,$\alpha$)$^{13}$N($\gamma$,p)$^{12}$C boosts $\alpha$-rich oxygen burning when the proton abundance is large, increasing the synthesis of argon and calcium with respect to sulfur and silicon. For high-metallicity progenitors, the presence of free neutrons leads to a drop in the proton abundance and the above chain is not efficient. Although the rate of $^{16}$O(p,$\alpha$)$^{13}$N can be found in astrophysical reaction rate libraries, its uncertainty is unconstrained. Assuming that all reaction rates other than $^{16}$O(p,$\alpha$)$^{13}$N retain their standard values, an increase by a factor of approximately seven of the $^{16}$O(p,$\alpha$)$^{13}$N rate at temperatures in the order $3-5\times10^9$ K is enough to explain the whole range of calcium-to-sulfur mass ratios measured in Milky Way and LMC supernova remnants. These same measurements provide a lower limit to the $^{16}$O(p,$\alpha$)$^{13}$N rate in the mentioned temperature range, on the order of a factor of 0.5 with respect to the rate reported in widely used literature tabulations., Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for Astronomy & Astrophysics

The thermonuclear explosion of massive white dwarfs is believed to explain at least a fraction of Type Ia supernovae (SNIa). After thermal runaway, electron captures on the ashes left behind by the burning front determine a loss of pressure, which impacts the dynamics of the explosion and the neutron excess of matter. Indeed, overproduction of neutron-rich species such as $^{54}$Cr has been deemed a problem of Chandrasekhar-mass models of SNIa for a long time. I present the results of a sensitivity study of SNIa models to the rates of weak interactions, which have been incorporated directly into the hydrodynamic explosion code. The weak rates have been scaled up/down by a factor ten, either globally for a common bibliographical source, or individually for selected isotopes. In line with previous works, the impact of weak rates uncertainties on sub-Chandrasekhar models of SNIa is almost negligible. The impact on the dynamics of Chandrasekhar-mass models and on the yield of $^{56}$Ni is also scarce. The strongest effect is found on the nucleosynthesis of neutron-rich nuclei, such as $^{48}$Ca, $^{54}$Cr, $^{58}$Fe, and $^{64}$Ni. The species with the highest influence on nucleosynthesis do not coincide with the isotopes that contribute most to the neutronization of matter. Among the last ones, there are protons, $^{54,55}$Fe, $^{55}$Co, and $^{56}$Ni, while the main influencers are $^{54,55}$Mn and $^{55-57}$Fe, in disagreement with Parikh et al (2013), who found that SNIa nucleosynthesis is most sensitive to the $\beta^+$-decay rates of $^{28}$Si, $^{32}$S, and $^{36}$Ar. An eventual increase in all weak rates on pf-shell nuclei would affect the dynamical evolution of hot bubbles, running away at the beginning of the explosion, and the yields of SNIa., Comment: accepted for Astronomy and Astrophysics

Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars, stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation. The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide set of astrophysical questions., Comment: 14 pages including 3 figures

Current Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) models can reproduce most visible+IR+UV observations. In the X-ray band, the determination of elemental abundance ratios in supernova remnants (SNRs) through their spectra has reached enough precision to constrain SN Ia models. Mart\'inez-Rodr\'iguez et al have shown that the Ca/S mass ratio in SNRs cannot be reproduced with the standard nuclear reaction rates for a wide variety of SN Ia models, and suggested that the 12C+16O reaction rate could be overestimated by a factor as high as ten. We show that the same Ca/S ratio can be obtained by simultaneously varying the rates of the reactions 12C+16O, 12C+12C, 16O+16O, and 16O({\gamma},{\alpha})12C within the reported uncertainties. We also show that the yields of the main products of SN Ia nucleosynthesis do not depend on the details of which rates are modified, but can be parametrized by an observational quantity such as Ca/S. Using this SNR-calibrated approach, we then proceed to compute a new set of SN Ia models and nucleosynthesis for both Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar mass progenitors with a one-dimensional hydrodynamics and nucleosynthesis code. We discuss the nucleosynthesis of the models as a function of progenitor metallicity, mass, and deflagration-to-detonation transition density. The yields of each model are almost independent on the reaction rates modified for a common Ca/S ratio., Comment: 19 pages, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/482/4/4346/5159491). Online supplemental material, tables 3 to 6 and A1 to A4, presented in the auxiliary directory included in the source of this manuscript listed under "Other formats"

The analysis of noble gases in primitive meteorites has shown the existence of anomalous isotopic abundances when compared with the average Solar System values. In particular it has been found that some graphite grains contain a unexpected high abundance of neon-22. This excess of neon-22 is usually attributed to the radioactive decay of sodium-22 produced in the O/Ne burning layer of a core collapse supernova. In this talk we speculate about a different origin, the disruption of a crystallized white dwarf by a compact object (white dwarf, neutron star or black hole)., Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of the 21st European Workshop on White Dwarfs (5 pages, 6 figures)

Type Ia supernovae originate from the explosion of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs in binary systems, but the exact nature of their progenitors remains elusive. The bulk properties of Type Ia supernova remnants, such as the radius and the centroid energy of the Fe K$\alpha$ blend in the X-ray spectrum, are determined by the properties of the supernova ejecta and the ambient medium. We model the interaction between Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar models for Type Ia supernova ejecta and a range of uniform ambient medium densities in one dimension up to an age of 5000 years. We generate synthetic X-ray spectra from these supernova remnant models and compare their bulk properties at different expansion ages with X-ray observations from \textit{Chandra} and \textit{Suzaku}. We find that our models can successfully reproduce the bulk properties of most observed remnants, suggesting that Type Ia SN progenitors do not modify their surroundings significantly on scales of a few pc. Ambient medium density and expansion age are the main contributors to the diversity of the bulk properties in our models. Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar progenitors make similar predictions for the bulk remnant properties, but detailed fits to X-ray spectra have the power to discriminate explosion energetics and progenitor scenarios., Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, published in the ApJ

A longstanding problem is identifying the elusive progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), which can roughly be split into Chandraksekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar mass events. An important difference between these two cases is the nucleosynthetic yield, which is altered by the increased neutron excess in Chandrasekhar progenitors due to their pre-explosion simmering and high central density. From comparison with theoretical nucleosynthesis yields, we show that the chemical composition of the most metal-rich star in the Ursa Minor dwarf galaxy, COS 171, is dominated by nucleosynthesis from a low-metallicity, low-mass, sub-Chandrasekhar mass SN Ia. Key diagnostic abundance ratios include C/Fe, {\alpha}/Fe, Mn/Fe and Ni/Fe ratios, which could not have been produced by Chandrasekhar-mass SNe Ia, Core-Collapse Type II supernovae or Pair-Instsability supernovae. Strong deficiencies of Ni/Fe, Cu/Fe and Zn/Fe also suggest the absence of alpha-rich freeze-out nucleosynthesis, favoring low-mass WD progenitor SNe Ia. Based on comparisons of the measured Mn/Fe and Si/Fe ratios with detonation models, we estimate a WD mass near 0.95Msun. We also compare Mn/Fe and Ni/Fe ratios to the recent theoretical yields predicted by Shen et al., finding consistent results. To explain the COS 171 [Fe/H], at -1.35 dex, requires dilution of the ejecta from a single SNIa event with ~10^4 Msun of material; this is expected for a SN Ia remnant expanding into a warm interstellar medium with n~1 /cm^3. In the future, finding more stars with the unique chemical signatures we highlight here will be important for constraining the rate and environments of sub-Chandrasekhar SNe Ia., Comment: submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. 16 pages, 10 figures, 7 tables

The physical process whereby a carbon--oxygen white dwarf explodes as a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) remains highly uncertain. The degree of neutronization in SN Ia ejecta holds clues to this process because it depends on the mass and the metallicity of the stellar progenitor, and on the thermodynamic history prior to the explosion. We report on a new method to determine ejecta neutronization using Ca and S lines in the X-ray spectra of Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs). Applying this method to \textit{Suzaku} data of Tycho, Kepler, 3C 397 and G337.2$-$0.7 in the Milky Way, and N103B in the Large Magellanic Cloud, we find that the neutronization of the ejecta in N103B is comparable to that of Tycho and Kepler, which suggests that progenitor metallicity is not the only source of neutronization in SNe Ia. We then use a grid of SN Ia explosion models to infer the metallicities of the stellar progenitors of our SNRs. The implied metallicities of 3C 397, G337.2$-$0.7, and N103B are major outliers compared to the local stellar metallicity distribution functions, indicating that progenitor metallicity can be ruled out as the origin of neutronization for these SNRs. Although the relationship between ejecta neutronization and equivalent progenitor metallicity is subject to uncertainties stemming from the $^{12}$C$\,$+$^{16}$O reaction rate, which affects the Ca/S mass ratio, our main results are not sensitive to these details., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ

The ultimate understanding of Type Ia Supernovae diversity is one of the most urgent issues to exploit thermonuclear explosions of accreted White Dwarfs (WDs) as cosmological yardsticks. In particular, we investigate the impact of the progenitor system metallicity on the physical and chemical properties of the WD at the explosion epoch. We analyze the evolution of CO WDs through the accretion and simmering phases by using evolutionary models based on time-dependent convective mixing and an extended nuclear network including the most important electron captures, beta decays and URCA processes. We find that, due to URCA processes and electron-captures, the neutron excess and density at which the thermal runaway occurs are substantially larger than previously claimed. Moreover, we find that the higher the progenitor metallicity, the larger the neutron excess variation during the accretion and simmering phases and the higher the central density and the convective velocity at the explosion. Hence, the simmering phase acts as an amplifier of the differences existing in SNe Ia progenitors. When applying our results to the neutron excess estimated for the Tycho and Kepler young Supernova remnants, we derive that the metallicity of the progenitors should be in the range Z=0.030-0.032, close to the average metallicity value of the thin disk of the Milky Way. As the amount of ${^{56}}$Ni produced in the explosion depends on the neutron excess and central density at the thermal runaway, our results suggest that the light curve properties depend on the progenitor metallicity., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for the publication on ApJ Letter

X-ray observations of supernova remnants (SNRs) allow us to investigate the chemical inhomogeneity of ejecta, offering unique insight into the nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions. Here we present detailed imaging and spectroscopic studies of the "Fe knot" located along the eastern rim of the Type Ia SNR Tycho (SN 1572) using Suzaku and Chandra long-exposure data. Surprisingly, the Suzaku spectrum of this knot shows no emission from Cr, Mn, or Ni, which is unusual for the Fe-rich regions in this SNR. Within the framework of the canonical delayed-detonation models for SN Ia, the observed mass ratios M_Cr/M_Fe < 0.023, M_Mn/M_Fe < 0.012, and M_Ni/M_Fe < 0.029 (at 90% confidence) can only be achieved for a peak temperature of (5.3-5.7) x 10^9 K and a neutron excess of < 2.0 x 10^-3. These constraints rule out the deep, dense core of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf as the origin of the Fe knot, and favors either incomplete Si burning or the alpha-rich freeze-out regime, probably close to their boundary. An explosive He burning regime is a possible alternative, although this hypothesis is in conflict with the main properties of this SNR., Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Despite decades of intense efforts, many fundamental aspects of Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) remain elusive. One of the major open questions is whether the mass of the exploding white dwarf (WD) is close to the Chandrasekhar limit. Here we report the detection of strong K-shell emission from stable Fe-peak elements in the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of the Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) 3C 397. The high Ni/Fe and Mn/Fe mass ratios (0.11-0.24 and 0.018-0.033, respectively) in the hot plasma component that dominates the K-shell emission lines indicate a degree of neutronization in the SN ejecta which can only be achieved by electron captures in the dense cores of exploding WDs with a near-Chandrasekhar mass. This suggests a single-degenerate origin for 3C 397, since Chandrasekhar mass progenitors are expected naturally if the WD accretes mass slowly from a companion. Together with other results supporting the double-degenerate scenario, our work adds to the mounting evidence that both progenitor channels make a significant contribution to the SN Ia rate in star-forming galaxies., Comment: Accepted by ApJL; 6 pages with 4 figures and 1 table

We have performed deep X-ray observations of the remnant of Kepler's supernova (SN 1604) as a Key Project of the Suzaku Observatory. Our main goal is to detect secondary Fe-peak elements in the SN ejecta to gain insights into the Type Ia supernova explosion mechanism and the nature of the progenitor. Here we report our initial results. We made a conclusive detection of X-ray emission lines from highly ionized Mn, Cr, and Ni as well as Fe. The observed Mn-to-Cr line flux ratio is ~0.60, ~30% larger than that measured in Tycho's remnant. We estimate a Mn-to-Cr mass ratio of ~0.77, which is strongly suggestive of a large neutron excess in the progenitor star before the onset of the thermonuclear runaway. The observed Ni-to-Fe line flux ratio (~0.03) corresponds to a mass ratio of ~0.06, which is generally consistent with the products of explosive Si-burning regime in Type Ia explosion models, and rules out contamination from the products of neutron-rich nuclear statistical equilibrium in the shocked ejecta. Together with the previously suggested luminous nature of the explosion, these mass ratios provide strong evidence for a super-solar metallicity in the SN progenitor (~3 Z_sun). Kepler's supernova was likely the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf formed in the recent past that must have exploded through a relatively prompt channel., Comment: Total 12 pages including 2 tables and 2 color figures. Accepted by ApJL

We explore the sensitivity of the nucleosynthesis due to type Ia supernovae with respect to uncertainties in nuclear reaction rates. We have adopted a standard one-dimensional delayed detonation model of the explosion of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf, and have post-processed the thermodynamic trajectories of every mass-shell with a nucleosynthetic code, with increases (decreases) by a factor of ten on the rates of 1196 nuclear reactions. We have computed as well hydrodynamic models for different rates of the fusion reactions of 12C and of 16O. For selected reactions, we have recomputed the nucleosynthesis with alternative prescriptions for their rates taken from the JINA REACLIB database, and have analyzed the temperature ranges where modifications of their rates have the strongest effect on nucleosynthesis. The nucleosynthesis resulting from the Type Ia supernova models is quite robust with respect to variations of nuclear reaction rates, with the exception of the reaction of fusion of 12C nuclei. The energy of the explosion changes by less than \sim4%. The changes in the nucleosynthesis due to the modification of the rates of fusion reactions are as well quite modest, for instance no species with a mass fraction larger than 0.02 experiences a variation of its yield larger than a factor of two. We provide the sensitivity of the yields of the most abundant species with respect to the rates of the most intense reactions with protons, neutrons, and alphas. In general, the yields of Fe-group nuclei are more robust than the yields of intermediate-mass elements. Among the charged particle reactions, the most influential on supernova nucleosynthesis are 30Si + p \rightleftarrows 31P + {\gamma}, 20Ne + {\alpha} \rightleftarrows 24Mg + {\gamma}, and 24Mg + {\alpha} \rightleftarrows 27Al + p. The temperatures at which a modification of their rate has a larger impact are in the range 2 < T < 4 GK. (abridged), Comment: 33 pages, 15 figures, 22 tables, submitted to Physical Review C

The efficient use of Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) for cosmological studies requires knowledge of any parameter that can affect their luminosity in either systematic or statistical ways. Observational samples of SNIa commonly use the metallicity of the host galaxy, Z_host, as an estimator of the supernova progenitor metallicity, Z_Ia, that is one of the primary factors affecting SNIa magnitude. Here, we present a theoretical study of the relationship between Z_Ia and Z_host. We follow the chemical evolution of homogeneous galaxy models together with the evolution of the supernova rates in order to evaluate the metallicity distribution function, MDF(Delta Z), i.e. the probability that the logarithm of the metallicity of a SNIa exploding now differs in less than Delta Z from that of its host. We analyse several model galaxies aimed to represent from active to passive galaxies, including dwarf galaxies prone to experience supernova driven outflows. We analyse the sensitivity of the MDF to uncertain ingredients: IMF, star-formation law, stellar lifetime, stellar yields, and SNIa delay-time distribution. There is a remarkable degree of agreement between the mean Z_Ia in a galaxy and its Z_host when they both are measured as the CNO abundance, especially if the DTD peaks at small time delays, while the average Fe abundance of host and SNIa may differ up to 0.4-0.6 dex in passive galaxies. The dispersion of Z_Ia in active galaxy models is quite small, meaning that Z_host is a quite good estimator of the supernova metallicity. Passive galaxies present a larger dispersion, which is more pronounced in low mass galaxies. We discuss the use of different metallicity indicators: Fe vs. O, and gas-phase metallicity vs. stellar metallicity. The results of the application of our formalism to a galactic catalogue (VESPA) are roughly consistent with our theoretical estimates. (abridged), Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, accepted for MNRAS

Gravitational settling of 22Ne in cooling white dwarfs can affect the outcome of thermonuclear supernovae. We investigate how the supernova energetics and nucleosynthesis are in turn influenced by this process. We use realistic chemical profiles derived from state-of-the-art white dwarf cooling sequences. The cooling sequences provide a link between the white dwarf chemical structure and the age of the supernova progenitor system. The cooling sequence of a 1 M_sun white dwarf was computed until freezing using an up-to-date stellar evolutionary code. We computed explosions of both Chandrasekhar mass and sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, assuming spherical symmetry and neglecting convective mixing during the pre-supernova carbon simmering phase to maximize the effects of chemical separation. Neither gravitational settling of 22Ne nor chemical differentiation of 12C and 16O have an appreciable impact on the properties of Type Ia supernovae, unless there is a direct dependence of the flame properties (density of transition from deflagration to detonation) on the chemical composition. At a fixed transition density, the maximum variation in the supernova magnitude obtained from progenitors of different ages is ~0.06 magnitudes, and even assuming an unrealistically large diffusion coefficient of 22Ne it would be less than ~0.09 mag. However, if the transition density depends on the chemical composition (all other things being equal) the oldest SNIa can be as much as 0.4 magnitudes brighter than the youngest ones (in our models the age difference is 7.4 Gyr). In addition, our results show that 22Ne sedimentation cannot be invoked to account for the formation of a central core of stable neutron-rich Fe-group nuclei in the ejecta of sub-Chandrasekhar models, as required by observations of Type Ia supernovae., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, accepted for Astronomy and Astrophysics. Revised version with corrected typos

The Mn to Cr mass ratio in supernova ejecta has recently been proposed as a tracer of Type Ia SN progenitor metallicity. We review the advantages and problems of this observable quantity, and discuss them in the framework of the Tycho Supernova Remnant. The fluxes of the Mn and Cr Kalpha lines in the X-ray spectra of Tycho observed by the Suzaku satellite suggests a progenitor of supersolar metallicity., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Proceedings of 'Probing Stellar Populations out to the Distant Universe'. September 15-19 2008, Cefalu, Sicily, Italy

Observational evidences point to a common explosion mechanism of Type Ia supernovae based on a delayed detonation of a white dwarf. However, all attempts to find a convincing ignition mechanism based on a delayed detonation in a destabilized, expanding, white dwarf have been elusive so far. One of the possibilities that has been invoked is that an inefficient deflagration leads to pulsation of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf, followed by formation of an accretion shock that confines a carbon-oxygen rich core, while transforming the kinetic energy of the collapsing halo into thermal energy of the core, until an inward moving detonation is formed. This chain of events has been termed Pulsating Reverse Detonation (PRD). In this work we present three dimensional numerical simulations of PRD models from the time of detonation initiation up to homologous expansion. Different models characterized by the amount of mass burned during the deflagration phase, M_defl, give explosions spanning a range of kinetic energies, K ~ (1.0-1.2) foes, and 56Ni masses, M(56Ni) ~ 0.6-0.8 M_sun, which are compatible with what is expected for typical Type Ia supernovae. Spectra and light curves of angle-averaged spherically symmetric versions of the PRD models are discussed. Type Ia supernova spectra pose the most stringent requirements on PRD models., Comment: 27 pages, 19 figures, 3 tables. Accepted to ApJ

Observational evidences point to a common explosion mechanism of Type Ia supernovae based on a delayed detonation of a white dwarf. Although several scenarios have been proposed and explored by means of one, two, and three-dimensional simulations, the key point still is the understanding of the conditions under which a stable detonation can form in a destabilized white dwarf. One of the possibilities that have been invoked is that an inefficient deflagration leads to the pulsation of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf, followed by formation of an accretion shock around a carbon-oxygen rich core. The accretion shock confines the core and transforms kinetic energy from the collapsing halo into thermal energy of the core, until an inward moving detonation is formed. This chain of events has been termed Pulsating Reverse Detonation (PRD). In this work we explore the robustness of the detonation ignition for different PRD models characterized by the amount of mass burned during the deflagration phase, M_defl. The evolution of the white dwarf up to the formation of the accretion shock has been followed with a three-dimensional hydrodynamical code with nuclear reactions turned off. We found that detonation conditions are achieved for a wide range of M_defl. However, if the nuclear energy released during the deflagration phase is close to the white dwarf binding energy (~ 0.46 foes -> M_defl ~ 0.30 M_sun) the accretion shock cannot heat and confine efficiently the core and detonation conditions are not robustly achieved., Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables. Accepted to ApJ

The Mn to Cr mass ratio in supernova ejecta has recently been proposed as a tracer of Type Ia SN progenitor metallicity. We review the advantages and problems of this observable quantity, and discuss them in the framework of two Galactic supernova remnants: the well known Tycho SNR and W49B, an older object that has been tentatively classified as Type Ia. The fluxes of the Mn and Cr Ka lines in the X-ray spectra of these SNRs observed by the Suzaku and ASCA satellites suggest progenitors of supersolar metallicity for both objects., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, proceedings of the 10th Symposium on Nuclei in the Cosmos

We propose a new method to measure the metallicity of Type Ia supernova progenitors using Mn and Cr lines in the X-ray spectra of young supernova remnants. We show that the Mn to Cr mass ratio in Type Ia supernova ejecta is tightly correlated with the initial metallicity of the progenitor, as determined by the neutron excess of the white dwarf material before thermonuclear runaway. We use this correlation, together with the flux of the Cr and Mn Kalpha X-ray lines in the Tycho supernova remnant recently detected by Suzaku (Tamagawa et al. 2008) to derive a metallicity of log(Z) = -1.32 (+0.67,-0.33) for the progenitor of this supernova, which corresponds to log(Z/Zsun)= 0.60 (+0.31,-0.60) according to the latest determination of the solar metallicity by Asplund et al. (2005). The uncertainty in the measurement is large, but metallicities much smaller than the solar value can be confidently discarded. We discuss the implications of this result for future research on Type Ia supernova progenitors., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJL

We examine the dynamics and X-ray spectrum of the young Type Ia supernova remnant 0509-67.5 in the context of the recent results obtained from the optical spectroscopy of its light echo. Our goal is to estimate the kinetic energy of the supernova explosion using Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant, thus placing the birth event of 0509-67.5 in the sequence of dim to bright Type Ia supernovae. We base our analysis on a standard grid of one-dimensional delayed detonation explosion models, together with hydrodynamic and X-ray spectral calculations of the supernova remnant evolution. From the remnant dynamics and the properties of the O, Si, S, and Fe emission in its X-ray spectrum we conclude that 0509-67.5 was originated ~400 years ago by a bright, highly energetic Type Ia explosion similar to SN 1991T. Our best model has a kinetic energy of 1.4x10E51 erg and synthesizes 0.97 Msun of 56Ni. These results are in excellent agreement with the age estimate and spectroscopy from the light echo. We have thus established the first connection between a Type Ia supernova and its supernova remnant based on a detailed quantitative analysis of both objects., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, plus an exclusive astro-ph-only Appendix; ApJ in press, companion paper to Rest et al. 08

Deflagration models poorly explain the observed diversity of SNIa. Current multidimensional simulations of SNIa predict a significant amount of, so far unobserved, carbon and oxygen moving at low velocities. It has been proposed that these drawbacks can be resolved if there is a sudden jump to a detonation (delayed detonation), but this kind of models has been explored mainly in one dimension. Here we present new three-dimensional delayed detonation models in which the deflagraton-to-detonation transition (DDT) takes place in conditions like those favored by one-dimensional models. We have used a SPH code adapted to SNIa with algorithms devised to handle subsonic as well as supersonic combustion fronts. The starting point was a C-O white dwarf of 1.38 solar masses. When the average density on the flame surface reached 2-3x10^7 g/cm^3 a detonation was launched. The detonation wave processed more than 0.3 solar masses of carbon and oxygen, emptying the central regions of the ejecta of unburned fuel and raising its kinetic energy close to the fiducial 10^51 ergs expected from a healthy Type Ia supernova. The final amount of 56Ni synthesized also was in the correct range. However, the mass of carbon and oxygen ejected is still too high. The three-dimensional delayed detonation models explored here show an improvement over pure deflagration models, but they still fail to coincide with basic observational constraints. However, there are many aspects of the model that are still poorly known (geometry of flame ignition, mechanism of DDT, properties of detonation waves traversing a mixture of fuel and ashes). Therefore, it will be worth pursuing its exploration to see if a good SNIa model based on the three-dimensional delayed detonation scenario can be obtained., Comment: To appear in A&A, 12 pages, 12 figures

We calculate detailed NLTE synthetic spectra of a Pulsating Reverse Detonation (PRD) model, a novel explosion mechanism for Type Ia supernovae. While the hydro models are calculated in 3-D, the spectra use an angle averaged hydro model and thus some of the 3-D details are lost, but the overall average should be a good representation of the average observed spectra. We study the model at 3 epochs: maximum light, seven days prior to maximum light, and 5 days after maximum light. At maximum the defining Si II feature is prominent, but there is also a prominent C II feature, not usually observed in normal SNe Ia near maximum. We compare to the early spectrum of SN 2006D which did show a prominent C II feature, but the fit to the observations is not compelling. Finally we compare to the post-maximum UV+optical spectrum of SN 1992A. With the broad spectral coverage it is clear that the iron-peak elements on the outside of the model push too much flux to the red and thus the particular PRD realizations studied would be intrinsically far redder than observed SNe Ia. We briefly discuss variations that could improve future PRD models., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ

We explore the relationship between the models for progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae and the properties of the supernova remnants that evolve after the explosion. Most models for Type Ia progenitors in the single degenerate scenario predict substantial outflows during the presupernova evolution. Expanding on previous work, we estimate the imprint of these outflows on the structure of the circumstellar medium at the time of the supernova explosion, and the effect that this modified circumstellar medium has on the evolution of the ensuing supernova remnant. We compare our simulations with the observational properties of known Type Ia supernova remnants in the Galaxy (Kepler, Tycho, SN 1006), the Large Magellanic Cloud (0509-67.5, 0519-69.0, N103B), and M31 (SN 1885). We find that optically thick outflows from the white dwarf surface (sometimes known as accretion winds) with velocities above 200 km/s excavate large low-density cavities around the progenitors. Such large cavities are incompatible with the dynamics of the forward shock and the X-ray emission from the shocked ejecta in all the Type Ia remnants that we have examined., Comment: To appear in ApJ. 17 pages, 10 figures, emulateapj

We describe a mechanism by which a failed deflagration of a Chandrasekhar-mass carbon-oxygen white dwarf can turn into a successful thermonuclear supernova explosion, without invoking an ad hoc high-density deflagration-detonation transition. Following a pulsating phase, an accretion shock develops above a core of 1 M_sun composed of carbon and oxygen, inducing a converging detonation. A three-dimensional simulation of the explosion produced a kinetic energy of 1.05E51 ergs and 0.70 M_sun of 56Ni, ejecting scarcely 0.01 M_sun of C-O moving at low velocities. The mechanism works under quite general conditions and is flexible enough to account for the diversity of normal Type Ia supernovae. In given conditions the detonation might not occur, which would reflect in peculiar signatures in the gamma and UV-wavelengths, Comment: Accepted for The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 12 pages, 3 figures

In this paper we use high quality X-ray observations from XMM-Newton and Chandra to gain new insights into the explosion that originated Tycho's supernova 433 years ago. We perform a detailed comparison between the ejecta emission from the spatially integrated X-ray spectrum of the supernova remnant and current models for Type Ia supernova explosions. We use a grid of synthetic X-ray spectra based on hydrodynamic models of the evolution of the supernova remnant and self-consistent nonequilibrium ionization calculations for the state of the shocked plasma. We find that the fundamental properties of the X-ray emission in Tycho are well reproduced by a one-dimensional delayed detonation model with a kinetic energy of 1.2e51 erg. All the other paradigms for Type Ia explosions that we have tested fail to provide a good approximation to the observed ejecta emission, including one-dimensional deflagrations, pulsating delayed detonations and sub-Chandrasekhar explosions, as well as deflagration models calculated in three dimensions. Our results require that the supernova ejecta retain some degree of chemical stratification, with Fe-peak elements interior to intermediate mass elements. This strongly suggests that a supersonic burning front (i.e., a detonation) must be involved at some stage in the physics of Type Ia supernova explosions., Comment: 42 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables. Replaced by the accepted version (no major changes)

We have explored in three dimensions the fate of a massive white dwarf as a function of different initial locations of carbon ignition, with the aid of a SPH code. The calculated models cover a variety of possibilities ranging from the simultaneous ignition of the central volume of the star to the off-center ignition in multiple scattered spots. In the former case, there are discussed the possibility of a transition to a detonation when the mean density of the nuclear flame decreases below 2x10**7 g cm**-3, and its consequences. In the last case, the dependence of the results on the number of initial igniting spots and the chance of some of these models to evolve to the pulsating delayed detonation scenario are also outlined., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of IAU Colloquium 192, 'Supernovae (10 years of SN1993J)', 22-26 April 2003, Valencia, Spain

A method for integrating the chemical equations associated with nuclear combustion at high temperature is presented and extensively checked. Following the idea of E. M\"uller, the feedback between nuclear rates and temperature was taken into account by simultaneously computing molar fraction changes and temperature response in the same matrix. The resulting algorithm is very stable and efficient at calculating nuclear combustion in explosive scenarios, especially in those situations where the reacting material manages to climb to the nuclear statistical equilibrium regime. The numerical scheme may be useful not only for those who carry out hydrodynamical simulations of explosive events, but also as a tool to investigate the properties of a nuclear system approaching equilibrium through a variety of thermodynamical trajectories., Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJS

We propose to use the thermal X-ray emission from young supernova remnants (SNRs) originated in Type Ia supernovae (SNe) to extract relevant information concerning the explosion mechanism. We focus on the differences between numerical 1D and 3D explosion calculations, and the impact that these differences could have on young SNRs. We use the remnant of the Tycho supernova (SN 1572) as a test case to compare with our predictions, discussing the observational features that allow to accept or discard a given model., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of IAU Colloquium 192, 'Supernovae (10 years of SN1993J)', 22-26 April 2003, Valencia, Spain. Replaced with revised version 3-10-03

The explosion mechanism behind Type Ia supernovae is a matter of continuing debate. The diverse attempts to identify or at least constrain the physical processes involved in the explosion have been only partially successful so far. In this paper we propose to use the thermal X-ray emission from young supernova remnants originated in Type Ia events to extract relevant information concerning the explosions themselves. We have produced a grid of thermonuclear supernova models representative of the paradigms currently under debate: pure deflagrations, delayed detonations, pulsating delayed detonations and sub-Chandrasekhar explosions, using their density and chemical composition profiles to simulate the interaction with the surrounding ambient medium and the ensuing plasma heating, non-equilibrium ionization and thermal X-ray emission of the ejecta. Key observational parameters such as electron temperatures, emission measures and ionization time scales are presented and discussed. We find that not only is it possible to identify the explosion mechanism from the spectra of young Type Ia Supernova Remnants, it is in fact necessary to take the detailed ejecta structure into account if such spectra are to be modeled in a self-consistent way. Neither element line flux ratios nor element emission measures are good estimates of the true ratios of ejected masses, with differences of as much as two or three orders of magnitude for a given model. Comparison with observations of the Tycho SNR suggests a delayed detonation as the most probable explosion mechanism. Line strengths, line ratios, and the centroid of the Fe Kalpha line are reasonably well reproduced by a model of this kind., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures (5 of them color), accepted for publication by the ApJ

In recent years, it has become clear from multidimensional simulations that the outcome of deflagrations depends strongly on the initial configuration of the flame. We have studied under which conditions this configuration could consist of a number of scattered, isolated, hot bubbles. Afterwards, we have calculated the evolution of deflagrations starting from different numbers of bubbles. We have found that starting from 30 bubbles a mild explosion is produced M(Ni56)=0.56 solar masses, while starting from 10 bubbles the star becomes only marginally unbound (K = 0.05 foes)., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Proc. of ESO/MPA/MPI Workshop: 'From Twilight to Highliht- The physics of Supernovae'

We present several hydrodynamical simulations of thermonuclear supernovae dealing with multiple delayed detonations. The calculations were carried out in three dimensions, making possible to study the influence of geometry of the flame front in two aspects. First, the evolution of its fractal dimension during the deflagration phase has been followed until a critical value is reached such that the deflagration may turn into a detonation. Second, as the resulting detonation could probably be scattered through the flame, the effect of its initial location on the detonation propagation, final energetics and nucleosynthesis has been explored., Comment: 6 pages, 3 Figures. To appear in Proc. of the ESO/MPA/MPO Workshop: "From Twilight to Highlight- The physics of Supernovae"

The explosion of a white dwarf of mass 1.36 M$_\odot$ has been simulated in three dimensions with the aid of a SPH code. The explosion follows the delayed detonation paradigma. In this case the deflagration-detonation transition is induced by the large corrugation of the flame front resulting from Rayleigh-Taylor instability and turbulence. The nucleosynthetic yields have been calculated, showing that some neutronized isotopes such as 54^Fe or 58^Ni are not overproduced with respect to the solar system ratios. The distribution of intermediate-mass elements is also compatible with the spectra of normal SNIa. The excepcion is, however, the abundance of carbon and oxygen, which are overproduced., Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Proceedings "Nuclei in the Cosmos VII" 2002. To appear in Nucl. Phys. A

We present the first results from an ongoing work aimed to use supernovae remnants to discriminate among different type Ia supernovae explosion models. We have computed the hydrodynamic interaction of supernova ejecta with the interstellar medium, obtaining the evolution of the density, temperature and ionization structure of the remnant. We have used ejecta profiles obtained from 1D hydrodynamic calculations of the different explosion mechanisms that are currently under debate. We have analyzed the best indicators that allow to discriminate among the different explosion mechanisms, taking into account the diversity of scenarios proposed for the presupernova evolution of the binary system, and the uncertain amount of electron heating in collisionless shocks., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings of the ESO/MPA/MPE Workshop 'From Twilight to Highlight', the Physics of Supernovae. Garching July 29 - 31, 2002

The evolution of type Ia supernova binary system progenitors is highly uncertain. Several evolutionary models predict that the accretion of mass onto the white dwarf is accompanied by mass ejection from the binary in the form of a powerful wind, but very few observations have been made during the initial phase of formation of supernovae remnants, when the interaction of supernova ejecta with presupernova wind could be tested. Here we present hydrodynamical simulations of supernova ejecta interaction with an ambient medium modified by presupernova wind. The structure of the ambient medium when the supernova explodes is very sensitive to the details of wind history, and the evolution of the supernova remnant can be affected during several thousand years. We have found that the forward shock expansion parameter is a good tool for discriminating between several wind models. The evolution of the supernova remnant in the presence of an ambient medium modified by interaction with pre-supernova wind cannot be described by a similarity solution. We also rule out simple models based on a circumstellar medium that merges smoothly with a uniform density ambient medium., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, to be published in ApJL

X-ray observations of supernova remnants (SNRs) allow us to investigate the chemical inhomogeneity of ejecta, offering unique insight into the nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions. Here we present detailed imaging and spectroscopic studies of the Fe knot located along the eastern rim of the Type Ia SNR Tycho ( SN 1572) using Suzaku and Chandra long-exposure data. Surprisingly, the Suzaku spectrum of this knot shows no emission from Cr, Mn, or Ni, which is unusual for the Fe-rich regions in this SNR. Within the framework of the canonical delayed-detonation models for SN Ia, the observed mass ratios M(sub Cr)/M(sub Fe) is less than 0.023, M(sub Mn)/M(sub Fe) is less than 0.012, and M(sub Ni)/M(sub Fe) is less than 0.029 (at 90% confidence) can only be achieved for a peak temperature of (5.3 - 5.7) x 10(exp. 9) K and a neutron excess of approximately less than 2.0 x 10(exp. -3). These constraints rule out the deep, dense core of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf as the origin of the Fe knot and favor either incomplete Si burning or an Alpha-rich freeze-out regime, probably close to the boundary. An explosive He burning regime is a possible alternative, although this hypothesis is in conflict with the main properties of this SNR.