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Helium star - carbon-oxygen white dwarf (CO WD) binaries are potential single-degenerate progenitor systems of thermonuclear supernovae. Revisiting a set of binary evolution calculations using the stellar evolution code $\texttt{MESA}$, we refine our previous predictions about which systems can lead to a thermonuclear supernova and then characterize the properties of the helium star donor at the time of explosion. We convert these model properties to NUV/optical magnitudes assuming a blackbody spectrum and support this approach using a matched stellar atmosphere model. These models will be valuable to compare with pre-explosion imaging for future supernovae, though we emphasize the observational difficulty of detecting extremely blue companions. The pre-explosion source detected in association with SN 2012Z has been interpreted as a helium star binary containing an initially ultra-massive WD in a multi-day orbit. However, extending our binary models to initial CO WD masses of up to $1.2\,M_{\odot}$, we find that these systems undergo off-center carbon ignitions and thus are not expected to produce thermonuclear supernovae. This tension suggests that, if SN 2012Z is associated with a helium star - WD binary, then the pre-explosion optical light from the system must be significantly modified by the binary environment and/or the WD does not have a carbon-rich interior composition., 26 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables; Accepted to ApJ

Recently, a class of Roche-lobe-filling binary systems consisting of hot subdwarf stars and white dwarfs with sub-hour periods has been discovered. At present, the hot subdwarf is in a shell He burning phase and is transferring some of its remaining thin H envelope to its white dwarf companion. As the evolution of the hot subdwarf continues, it is expected to detach, leaving behind a low mass C/O core white dwarf secondary with a thick He layer. Then, on a timescale of $\sim 10$ Myr, gravitational wave radiation will again bring the systems into contact. If the mass transfer is unstable and results in a merger and a catastrophic thermonuclear explosion is not triggered, it creates a remnant with a C/O-dominated envelope, but one still rich enough in He to support an R Corona Borealis-like shell burning phase. We present evolutionary calculations of this phase and discuss its potential impact on the cooling of the remnant white dwarf., 7 pages, 4 figures; Accepted to ApJ

White dwarfs represent the last stage of evolution of stars with mass less than about eight times that of the Sun and, like other stars, are often found in binaries. If the orbital period of the binary is short enough, energy losses from gravitational-wave radiation can shrink the orbit until the two white dwarfs come into contact and merge. Depending on the component masses, the merger can lead to a supernova of type Ia or result in a massive white dwarf. In the latter case, the white dwarf remnant is expected to be highly magnetised because of the strong magnetic dynamo that should arise during the merger, and be rapidly spinning from the conservation of the orbital angular momentum. Here we report observations of a white dwarf, ZTF J190132.9+145808.7, that exhibits these properties, but to an extreme: a rotation period of 6.94 minutes, a magnetic field ranging between 600 megagauss and 900 megagauss over its surface, and a stellar radius of about 2,100 km, slightly larger than the radius of the Moon. Such a small radius implies that the star's mass is close to the maximum white-dwarf mass, or Chandrasekhar mass. ZTF J190132.9+145808.7 is likely to be cooling through the Urca processes (neutrino emission from electron capture on sodium) because of the high densities reached in its core., Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, published in Nature on June 30, 2021

Stellar evolution and numerical hydrodynamics simulations depend critically on access to fast, accurate, thermodynamically consistent equations of state. We present Skye, a new equation of state for fully-ionized matter. Skye includes the effects of positrons, relativity, electron degeneracy, Coulomb interactions, non-linear mixing effects, and quantum corrections. Skye determines the point of Coulomb crystallization in a self-consistent manner, accounting for mixing and composition effects automatically. A defining feature of this equation of state is that it uses analytic free energy terms and provides thermodynamic quantities using automatic differentiation machinery. Because of this, Skye is easily extended to include new effects by simply writing new terms in the free energy. We also introduce a novel thermodynamic extrapolation scheme for extending analytic fits to the free energy beyond the range of the fitting data while preserving desirable properties like positive entropy and sound speed. We demonstrate Skye in action in the MESA stellar evolution software instrument by computing white dwarf cooling curves., Accepted in ApJ. 27 pages, 19 figures

In this work we derive the minimum allowed orbital periods of H-rich bodies ranging in mass from Saturn's mass to 1 $M_{\odot}$, emphasizing gas giants and brown dwarfs over the range $0.0003 - 0.074 \, M_\odot$. Analytic fitting formulae for $P_{\rm min}$ as a function of the mass of the body and as a function of the mean density are presented. We assume that the density of the host star is sufficiently high so as not to limit the minimum period. In many instances this implies that the host star is a white dwarf. This work is aimed, in part, toward distinguishing brown dwarfs from planets that are found transiting the host white dwarf without recourse to near infrared or radial velocity measurements. In particular, orbital periods of $\lesssim 100$ minutes are very likely to be brown dwarfs. The overall minimum period over this entire mass range is $\simeq 37$ minutes., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures ApJ (accepted April 12, 2021)

White dwarfs represent the last stage of evolution for low and intermediate-mass stars (below about 8 times the mass of our Sun), and like their stellar progenitors, they are often found in binaries. If the orbital period of the binary is short enough, energy losses from gravitational wave radiation can shrink the orbit until the two white dwarfs come into contact and merge. Depending on the masses of the coalescing white dwarfs, the merger can lead to a supernova of type Ia, or it can give birth to a massive white dwarf. In the latter case, the white dwarf remnant is expected to be highly magnetised due to the strong dynamo that may arise during the merger, and rapidly rotating due to conservation of the orbital angular momentum of the binary. Here we report the discovery of a white dwarf, ZTF J190132.9+145808.7, which presents all these properties, but to an extreme: a rotation period of 6.94 minutes, one of the shortest measured for an isolated white dwarf, a magnetic field ranging between 600 MG and 900 MG over its surface, one of the highest fields ever detected on a white dwarf, and a stellar radius of 1810 km, slightly larger than the radius of the Moon. Such a small radius implies the star's mass is the closest ever detected to the white dwarf maximum mass, or Chandrasekhar mass. In fact, as the white dwarf cools and its composition stratifies, it may become unstable and collapse due to electron capture, exploding into a thermonuclear supernova or collapsing into a neutron star. Neutron stars born in this fashion could account for 10% of their total population.

White dwarfs represent the last stage of evolution of stars with mass less than about eight times that of the Sun and, like other stars, are often found in binaries

The collapse of degenerate oxygen-neon cores (i.e., electron-capture supernovae or accretion-induced collapse) proceeds through a phase in which a deflagration wave ("flame") forms at or near the center and propagates through the star. In models, the assumed speed of this flame influences whether this process leads to an explosion or to the formation of a neutron star. We calculate the laminar flame speeds in degenerate oxygen-neon mixtures with compositions motivated by detailed stellar evolution models. These mixtures include trace amounts of carbon and have a lower electron fraction than those considered in previous work. We find that trace carbon has little effect on the flame speeds, but that material with electron fraction $Y_e \approx 0.48-0.49$ has laminar flame speeds that are $\approx 2$ times faster than those at $Y_e = 0.5$. We provide tabulated flame speeds and a corresponding fitting function so that the impact of this difference can be assessed via full star hydrodynamical simulations of the collapse process., 12 pages, 12 figures; Accepted to ApJ

Multiple channels have been proposed to produce Type Ia supernovae, with many scenarios suggesting that the exploding white dwarf accretes from a binary companion pre-explosion. In almost all cases, theory suggests that this companion will survive. However, no such companion has been unambiguously identified in ancient supernova remnants -- possibly falsifying the accretion scenario. Existing surveys, however, have only looked for stars as faint as $\approx 0.1 L_\odot$ and thus would have missed a surviving white dwarf companion. In this work, we present very deep DECAM imaging $(u, g, r, z)$ of the Type Ia supernova remnant SN 1006 specifically to search for a potential surviving white dwarf companion. We find no object within the inner third of the SN 1006 remnant that is consistent with a relatively young cooling white dwarf. We find that if there is a companion white dwarf, it must have formed long ago and cooled undisturbed for $> 10^8$ yr to be consistent with the redder objects in our sample. We conclude that our findings are consistent with the complete destruction of the secondary (such as in a merger) or an unexpectedly cool and thus very dim surviving companion white dwarf.

We perform stellar evolution calculations of the remnant of the merger of two He white dwarfs (WDs). Our initial conditions are taken from hydrodynamic simulations of double WD mergers and the viscous disc phase that follows. We evolve these objects from shortly after the merger into their core He-burning phase, when they appear as hot subdwarf stars. We use our models to quantify the amount of H that survives the merger, finding that it is difficult for $\gtrsim 10^{-4}\;{\rm M}_\odot$ of H to survive, with even less being concentrated in the surface layers of the object. We also study the rotational evolution of these merger remnants. We find that mass loss over the $\sim 10^4\;\rm yr$ following the merger can significantly reduce the angular momentum of these objects. As hot subdwarfs, our models have moderate surface rotation velocities of $30-100\; {\rm km\,s^{-1}}$. The properties of our models are not representative of many apparently-isolated hot subdwarfs, suggesting that those objects may form via other channels or that our modelling is incomplete. However, a sub-population of hot subdwarfs are moderate-to-rapid rotators and/or have He-rich atmospheres. Our models help to connect the observed properties of these objects to their progenitor systems., 10 pages, 11 figures; Accepted to MNRAS

We update the capabilities of the open-knowledge software instrument Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA). RSP is a new functionality in MESAstar that models the non-linear radial stellar pulsations that characterize RR Lyrae, Cepheids, and other classes of variable stars. We significantly enhance numerical energy conservation capabilities, including during mass changes. For example, this enables calculations through the He flash that conserve energy to better than 0.001 %. To improve the modeling of rotating stars in MESA, we introduce a new approach to modifying the pressure and temperature equations of stellar structure, and a formulation of the projection effects of gravity darkening. A new scheme for tracking convective boundaries yields reliable values of the convective-core mass, and allows the natural emergence of adiabatic semiconvection regions during both core hydrogen- and helium-burning phases. We quantify the parallel performance of MESA on current generation multicore architectures and demonstrate improvements in the computational efficiency of radiative levitation. We report updates to the equation of state and nuclear reaction physics modules. We briefly discuss the current treatment of fallback in core-collapse supernova models and the thermodynamic evolution of supernova explosions. We close by discussing the new MESA Testhub software infrastructure to enhance source-code development., Comment: 57 pages, 57 figures; Accepted to ApJS

We explore changes in the adiabatic low-order g-mode pulsation periods of 0.526, 0.560, and 0.729 M$_\odot$ carbon-oxygen white dwarf models with helium-dominated envelopes due to the presence, absence, and enhancement of $^{22}$Ne in the interior. The observed g-mode pulsation periods of such white dwarfs are typically given to 6$-$7 significant figures of precision. Usually white dwarf models without $^{22}$Ne are fit to the observed periods and other properties. The root-mean-square residuals to the $\simeq$ 150$-$400 s low-order g-mode periods are typically in the range of $\sigma_{rms}$ $\lesssim$ 0.3 s, for a fit precision of $\sigma_{rms}/ P$ $\lesssim$ 0.3 %. We find average relative period shifts of $\Delta P/P$ $\simeq$ $\pm$ 0.5 % for the low-order dipole and quadrupole g-mode pulsations within the observed effective temperature window, with the range of $\Delta P/P$ depending on the specific g-mode, abundance of $^{22}$Ne, effective temperature, and mass of the white dwarf model. This finding suggests a systematic offset may be present in the fitting process of specific white dwarfs when $^{22}$Ne is absent. As part of the fitting processes involves adjusting the composition profiles of a white dwarf model, our study on the impact of $^{22}$Ne can provide new inferences on the derived interior mass fraction profiles. We encourage routinely including $^{22}$Ne mass fraction profiles, informed by stellar evolution models, to future generations of white dwarf model fitting processes., Comment: 23 pages, 19 figures total. Accepted to the ApJ. Presented results at 2021 AAS January meeting

We present stellar evolution calculations of the remnant of the merger of two carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs). We focus on cases that have a total mass in excess of the Chandrasekhar mass. After the merger, the remnant manifests as an $L \sim 3 \times 10^4 L_\odot$ source for $\sim 10^4$ yr. A dusty wind may develop, leading these sources to be self-obscured and to appear similar to extreme AGB stars. Roughly $\sim 10$ such objects should exist in the Milky Way and M31 at any time. As found in previous work, off-center carbon fusion is ignited within the merger remnant and propagates inward via a carbon flame, converting the WD to an oxygen-neon (ONe) composition. By following the evolution for longer than previous calculations, we demonstrate that after carbon-burning reaches the center, neutrino-cooled Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction leads to off-center neon ignition in remnants with masses $\ge 1.35 M_\odot$. The resulting neon-oxygen flame converts the core to a silicon WD. Thus, super-Chandrasekhar WD merger remnants do not undergo electron-capture induced collapse as traditionally assumed. Instead, if the remnant mass remains above the Chandrasekhar mass, we expect that it will form a low-mass iron core and collapse to form a neutron star. Remnants that lose sufficient mass will end up as massive, isolated ONe or Si WDs., 17 pages, 17 figures, 1 table; accepted to MNRAS

Cooling white dwarfs (WDs) can yield accurate ages when theoretical cooling models fully account for the physics of the dense plasma of WD interiors. We use MESA to investigate cooling models for a set of massive and ultra-massive WDs (0.9-1.3 $M_\odot$) for which previous models fail to match kinematic age indicators based on Gaia DR2. We find that the WDs in this population can be explained as C/O cores experiencing unexpectedly rapid $^{22}$Ne sedimentation in the strongly liquid interior just prior to crystallization. We propose that this rapid sedimentation is due to the formation of solid clusters of $^{22}$Ne in the liquid C/O background plasma. We show that these heavier solid clusters sink faster than individual $^{22}$Ne ions and enhance the sedimentation heating rate enough to dramatically slow WD cooling. MESA models including our prescription for cluster formation and sedimentation experience cooling delays of $\approx$4 Gyr on the WD Q branch, alleviating tension between cooling ages and kinematic ages. This same model then predicts cooling delays coinciding with crystallization of 6 Gyr or more in lower mass WDs (0.6-0.8 $M_\odot$). Such delays are compatible with, and perhaps required by, observations of WD populations in the local 100 pc WD sample and the open cluster NGC 6791. These results motivate new investigations of the physics of strongly coupled C/O/Ne plasma mixtures in the strongly liquid state near crystallization and tests through comparisons with observed WD cooling., Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Observations demonstrate that the surface abundance of $^7{\rm Li}$ in low-mass stars changes dramatically between the tip of the red giant branch and the red clump. This naturally suggests an association with the helium core flash, which occurs between these two stages. Using stellar evolution models and a simple, ad hoc mixing prescription, we demonstrate that the $^7{\rm Li}$ enhancement can be explained by a brief chemical mixing event that occurs at the time of the first, strongest He sub-flash. The amount of $^7{\rm Be}$ already present above the H-burning shell just before the flash, once it mixes into the cooler envelope and undergoes an electron capture converting it to $^7{\rm Li}$, is sufficient to explain the observed abundance at the red clump. We suggest that the excitation of internal gravity waves by the vigorous turbulent convection during the flash may provide a physical mechanism that can induce such mixing., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; Accepted to ApJL

We perform binary evolution calculations on helium star - carbon-oxygen white dwarf (CO WD) binaries using the stellar evolution code MESA. This single degenerate channel may contribute significantly to thermonuclear supernovae at short delay times. We examine the thermal-timescale mass transfer from a 1.1 - 2.0 $M_{\odot}$ helium star to a 0.90 - 1.05 $M_{\odot}$ CO WD for initial orbital periods in the range 0.05 - 1 day. Systems in this range may produce a thermonuclear supernova, helium novae, a helium star - oxygen-neon WD binary, or a detached double CO WD binary. Our time-dependent calculations that resolve the stellar structures of both binary components allow accurate distinction between the eventual formation of a thermonuclear supernova (via central ignition of carbon burning) and that of an ONe WD (in the case of off-center ignition). Furthermore, we investigate the effect of a slow WD wind which implies a specific angular momentum loss from the binary that is larger than typically assumed. We find that this does not significantly alter the region of parameter space over which systems evolve toward thermonuclear supernovae. Our determination of the correspondence between initial binary parameters and the final outcome informs population synthesis studies of the contribution of the helium donor channel to thermonuclear supernovae. In addition, we constrain the orbital properties and observable stellar properties of the progenitor binaries of thermonuclear supernovae and helium novae., 35 pages, 23 figures; Accepted to ApJ

We present direct spectroscopic modeling of 44 Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) using spectral synthesis code SYNAPPS. We confirm detections of helium emission in the early-time spectra of two SNe Iax: SNe 2004cs and 2007J. These He I features are better fit by a pure-emission Gaussian than by a P-Cygni profile, indicating that the helium emission originates from the circumstellar environment rather than the SN ejecta. Based on the modeling of the remaining 42 SNe Iax, we find no obvious helium features in other SN Iax spectra. However, $\approx 76\%$ of our sample lack sufficiently deep luminosity limits to detect helium emission with a luminosity of that seen in SNe 2004cs and 2007J. Using the objects with constraining luminosity limits, we calculate that 33% of SNe Iax have detectable helium in their spectra. We examine 11 SNe Iax with late-time spectra and find no hydrogen or helium emission from swept up material. For late-time spectra, we calculate typical upper limits of stripped hydrogen and helium to be $2 \times 10^{-3}$ M$_{\odot}$ and $10^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$, respectively. While detections of helium in SNe Iax support a white dwarf-He star binary progenitor system (i.e., a single-degenerate [SD] channel), non-detections may be explained by variations in the explosion and ejecta material. The lack of helium in the majority of our sample demonstrates the complexity of SN Iax progenitor systems and the need for further modeling. With strong independent evidence indicating that SNe Iax arise from a SD channel, we caution the common interpretation that the lack of helium or hydrogen emission at late-time in SN Ia spectra rules out SD progenitor scenarios for this class., 43 pages, 55 figures. Accepted to MNRAS

Double detonations in double white dwarf (WD) binaries undergoing unstable mass transfer have emerged in recent years as one of the most promising Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) progenitor scenarios. One potential outcome of this "dynamically driven double-degenerate double-detonation" (D^6) scenario is that the companion WD survives the explosion and is flung away with a velocity equal to its > 1000 km/s pre-SN orbital velocity. We perform a search for these hypervelocity runaway WDs using Gaia's second data release. In this paper, we discuss seven candidates followed up with ground-based instruments. Three sources are likely to be some of the fastest known stars in the Milky Way, with total Galactocentric velocities between 1000 and 3000 km/s, and are consistent with having previously been companion WDs in pre-SN Ia systems. However, although the radial velocity of one of the stars is > 1000 km/s, the radial velocities of the other two stars are puzzlingly consistent with 0. The combined five-parameter astrometric solutions from Gaia and radial velocities from follow-up spectra yield tentative 6D confirmation of the D^6 scenario. The past position of one of these stars places it within a faint, old SN remnant, further strengthening the interpretation of these candidates as hypervelocity runaways from binary systems that underwent SNe Ia., Accepted for publication in ApJ. Minor corrections for clarity. D6 spectra are available as ancillary data files

Talk at HDEF2018

We study the evolution of degenerate electron cores primarily composed of the carbon burning products oxygen, neon, and magnesium (hereafter ONeMg cores) that are undergoing compression. Electron capture reactions on A=20 and A=24 isotopes reduce the electron fraction and heat the core. We develop and use a new capability of the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) stellar evolution code that provides a highly accurate implementation of these key reactions. These new accurate rates and the ability of MESA to perform extremely small spatial zoning demonstrates a thermal runaway in the core triggered by the temperature and density sensitivity of the Ne-20 electron capture reactions. Both analytics and numerics show that this thermal runaway does not trigger core convection, but rather leads to a centrally concentrated (r < km) thermal runaway that will subsequently launch an oxygen deflagration wave from the center of the star. We use MESA to perform a parameter study that quantifies the influence of the magnesium mass fraction, the central temperature, the compression rate, and uncertainties in the electron capture reaction rates on the ONeMg core evolution. This allows us to establish a lower limit on the central density at which the oxygen deflagration wave initiates of $��_c > 8.5 \times 10^9\, \textrm{g cm}^{-3}$. Based on previous work and order-of-magnitude calculations, we expect objects which ignite oxygen at or above these densities to collapse and form a neutron star. Calculations such as these are an important step in producing more realistic progenitor models for studies of the signature of accretion-induced collapse., 20 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables; published in MNRAS, updated to reflect published erratum

Type Iax supernovae may arise from failed explosions of white dwarfs that leave behind a bound remnant (i.e., a "postgenitor" star) that could be identified in wide field surveys. To understand their observational signatures, we simulate these white dwarf (WD) postgenitors from shortly after explosion until they move back down the WD cooling track, and we consider several possible WD masses and explosion energies. To predict the peculiar surface abundances of the WD postgenitors, our models take into account gravitational settling and radiative levitation. We find that radiative levitation is significant at temperatures above a mass-dependent critical temperature, typically in the range Teff ~ 50-100 * 10^3 K, significantly increasing surface abundances of iron-group elements. Due to enhanced iron group opacity compared to normal WDs, the postgenitor peak luminosity and cooling timescale depend sensitively on mass, with more massive WDs becoming brighter but cooling much faster. We discuss our results in light of recently discovered hypervelocity white dwarfs with peculiar surface compositions, finding that our low-mass postgenitor models match many of their observational characteristics. Finally, we explore the effects of thermohaline diffusion, tentatively finding that it strongly suppresses abundance enhancements created by radiative levitation, but more realistic modeling is required to reach a firm conclusion., Comment: Final published version

We study the evolution and final outcome of long-lived (${\approx}10^5$ years) remnants from the merger of a He white dwarf (WD) with a more massive C/O or O/Ne WD. Using Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics ($\texttt{MESA}$), we show that these remnants have a red giant configuration supported by steady helium burning, adding mass to the WD core until it reaches $M_{\rm core}\approx 1.12-1.20 M_\odot$. At that point, the base of the surface convection zone extends into the burning layer, mixing the helium burning products (primarily carbon and magnesium) throughout the convective envelope. Further evolution depletes the convective envelope of helium, and dramatically slows the mass increase of the underlying WD core. The WD core mass growth re-initiates after helium depletion, as then an uncoupled carbon burning shell is ignited and proceeds to burn the fuel from the remaining metal-rich extended envelope. For large enough initial total merger masses, O/Ne WD cores would experience electron-capture triggered collapse to neutron stars (NSs) after growing to near Chandrasekhar mass ($M_{\rm Ch}$). Massive C/O WD cores could suffer the same fate after a carbon-burning flame converts them to O/Ne. The NS formation would release ${\approx}10^{50}$ ergs into the remaining extended low mass envelope. Using the STELLA radiative transfer code, we predict the resulting optical light curves from these exploded envelopes. Reaching absolute magnitudes of $M_V\approx -17$, these transients are bright for about one week, and have many features of the class of luminous, rapidly evolving transients studied by Drout and collaborators., 12 pages, 9 Figures, 1 Table

White dwarfs (WDs) that accrete helium at rates $\sim 10^{-8} \, M_\odot \, \rm yr^{-1}$, such as those in close binaries with sdB stars, can accumulate large ($\gtrsim 0.1 \, M_\odot$) helium envelopes which are likely to detonate. We perform binary stellar evolution calculations of sdB+WD binary systems with MESA, incorporating the important reaction chain $^{14}{\rm N}(e^-, \nu) {^{14}{\rm C}} ( \alpha, \gamma) {^{18}{\rm O}}$ (NCO), including a recent measurement for the ${^{14}{\rm C}} ( \alpha, \gamma) {^{18}{\rm O}}$ rate. In large accreted helium shells, the NCO reaction chain leads to ignitions at the dense base of the freshly accreted envelope, in contrast to $3\alpha$ ignitions which occur away from the base of the shell. In addition, at these accretion rates, the shells accumulate on a timescale comparable to their thermal time, leading to an enhanced sensitivity of the outcome on the accretion rate history. Hence, time dependent accretion rates from binary stellar evolution are necessary to determine the helium layer mass at ignition. We model the observed sdB+WD system ${\rm CD}\,-30^\circ 11223$ and find that the inclusion of these effects predicts ignition of a $0.153 \, M_\odot$ helium shell, nearly a factor of two larger than previous predictions. A shell with this mass will ignite dynamically, a necessary condition for a helium shell detonation., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures; Accepted for publication in ApJ

We use Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) to construct stellar evolution models that reach a hydrogen-deficient, carbon-rich giant phase like the R Coronae Borealis (R CrB) stars. These models use opacities from OPAL and AESOPUS that cover the conditions in the cool, H-deficient, CNO-enhanced envelopes of these stars. We compare models that begin from homogeneous He stars with models constructed to reproduce the remnant structure shortly after the merger of a He and a CO white dwarf (WD). We emphasize that models originating from merger scenarios have a thermal reconfiguration phase that can last up to $\approx$ 1 kyr post merger, suggesting some galactic objects should be in this phase. We illustrate the important role of mass loss in setting the lifetimes of the R CrB stars. Using AGB-like mass loss prescriptions, models with CO WD primaries $\lesssim 0.7\,M_\odot$ typically leave the R CrB phase with total masses $\approx 0.6-0.7\,M_\odot$, roughly independent of their total mass immediately post-merger. This implies that the descendants of the R CrB stars may have a relatively narrow range in mass and luminosity as extreme He stars and a relatively narrow range in mass as single WDs., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures; Accepted to ApJ

We study the evolution of accreting oxygen-neon (ONe) white dwarfs (WDs), with a particular emphasis on the effects of the presence of the carbon-burning products $\mathrm{^{23}Na}$ and $\mathrm{^{25}Mg}$. These isotopes lead to substantial cooling of the WD via the $\mathrm{^{25}Mg}$-$\mathrm{^{25}Na}$, $\mathrm{^{23}Na}$-$\mathrm{^{23}Ne}$, and $\mathrm{^{25}Na}$-$\mathrm{^{25}Ne}$ Urca pairs. We derive an analytic formula for the peak Urca-process cooling rate and use it to obtain a simple expression for the temperature to which the Urca process cools the WD. Our estimates are equally applicable to accreting carbon-oxygen WDs. We use the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) stellar evolution code to evolve a suite of models that confirm these analytic results and demonstrate that Urca-process cooling substantially modifies the thermal evolution of accreting ONe WDs. Most importantly, we show that MESA models with lower temperatures at the onset of the $\mathrm{^{24}Mg}$ and $\mathrm{^{24}Na}$ electron captures develop convectively unstable regions, even when using the Ledoux criterion. We discuss the difficulties that we encounter in modeling these convective regions and outline the potential effects of this convection on the subsequent WD evolution. For models in which we do not allow convection to operate, we find that oxygen ignites around a density of $\log(\rho_{\rm c}/\rm g\,cm^{-3}) \approx 9.95$, very similar to the value without Urca cooling. Nonetheless, the inclusion of the effects of Urca-process cooling is an important step in producing progenitor models with more realistic temperature and composition profiles which are needed for the evolution of the subsequent oxygen deflagration and hence for studies of the signature of accretion-induced collapse., Comment: 19 pages, 23 figures; Accepted to MNRAS

Accretion-induced collapse (AIC) occurs when an O/Ne white dwarf (WD) grows to nearly the Chandrasekhar mass ($M_{\rm Ch}$), reaching central densities that trigger electron captures in the core. Using Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics ($\texttt{MESA}$), we present the first true binary simulations of He star + O/Ne WD binaries, focusing on a $1.5 M_\odot$ He star in a 3 hour orbital period with $1.1-1.3 M_\odot$ O/Ne WDs. The helium star fills its Roche lobe after core helium burning is completed and donates helium on its thermal timescale to the WD, $\dot{M}\approx3\times10^{-6} M_\odot$/yr, a rate high enough that the accreting helium burns stably on the WD. The accumulated carbon/oxygen ashes from the helium burning undergo an unstable shell flash that initiates an inwardly moving carbon burning flame. This flame is only quenched when it runs out of carbon at the surface of the original O/Ne core. Subsequent accumulation of fresh carbon/oxygen layers also undergo thermal instabilities, but no mass loss is triggered, allowing $M_{\rm WD}\rightarrow M_{\rm Ch}$, triggering the onset of AIC. We also discuss the scenario of accreting C/O WDs that experience shell carbon ignitions to become O/Ne WDs, and then, under continuing mass transfer, lead to AIC. Studies of the AIC event rate using binary population synthesis should include all of these channels, especially this latter channel, which has been previously neglected but might dominate the rate., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures

We use a collection of 14 well-measured neutron star masses to strengthen the case that a substantial fraction of these neutron stars was formed via electron-capture supernovae (SNe) as opposed to Fe-core collapse SNe. The e-capture SNe are characterized by lower resultant gravitational masses and smaller natal kicks, leading to lower orbital eccentricities when the e-capture SN has led to the formation of the second neutron star in a binary system. Based on the measured masses and eccentricities, we identify four neutron stars, which have a mean post-collapse gravitational mass of ~1.25 solar masses, as the product of e-capture SNe. We associate the remaining ten neutron stars, which have a mean mass of 1.35 solar masses, with Fe-core collapse SNe. If the e-capture supernova occurs during the formation of the first neutron star, then this should substantially increase the formation probability for double neutron stars, given that more systems will remain bound with the smaller kicks. However, this does not appear to be the case for any of the observed systems, and we discuss possible reasons for this., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; Accepted to ApJ

Author(s): Schwab, Josiah | Advisor(s): Quataert, Eliot | Abstract: In double white dwarf (WD) systems with sufficiently short initial orbital periods, angular momentum losses from gravitational wave radiation shrink the orbit and can lead to the merger of the WDs. Simulations of the merger show that the less massive WD is tidally disrupted, forming a disk around the more massive WD. Beginning with output from WD merger simulations, I study the subsequent viscous evolution using multi-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. I find that the remnants evolve towards a spherical end-state, where the rotationally-supported disk has been converted into a hot, thermally-supported envelope. I then map these results into a stellar evolution code and evolve them over thermal and nuclear timescales. This is a necessary procedure to self-consistently study the long-term outcomes of WD mergers. I apply this to the merger of two carbon-oxygen WDs with a total mass in excess of the Chandrasekhar mass. My work follows the evolution of the remnants for longer than previous calculations and finds alternating episodes of fusion and contraction can lead to the formation and subsequent collapse of an iron core. I also characterize the observable properties of the remnant during this evolution. Additionally, I develop a framework to compute weak reaction rates that are essential in the evolution of massive, accreting WDs. I apply these results to understand the evolution of oxygen-neon WDs towards accretion-induced collapse to a neutron star.

It has been proposed that mixing induced by convective overshoot can disrupt the inward propagation of carbon deflagrations in super-asymptotic giant branch stars. To test this theory, we study an idealized model of convectively bounded carbon flames with 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the Boussinesq equations using the pseudospectral code Dedalus. Because the flame propagation timescale is much longer than the convection timescale, we approximate the flame as fixed in space, and only consider its effects on the buoyancy of the fluid. By evolving a passive scalar field, we derive a {\it turbulent} chemical diffusivity produced by the convection as a function of height, $D_{\rm t}(z)$. Convection can stall a flame if the chemical mixing timescale, set by the turbulent chemical diffusivity, $D_{\rm t}$, is shorter than the flame propagation timescale, set by the thermal diffusivity, $\kappa$, i.e., when $D_{\rm t}>\kappa$. However, we find $D_{\rm t}, Comment: Accepted to ApJ

The merger of two white dwarfs (WDs) creates a differentially rotating remnant which is unstable to magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. These instabilities can lead to viscous evolution on a time-scale short compared to the thermal evolution of the remnant. We present multidimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the evolution of WD merger remnants under the action of an alpha-viscosity. We initialize our calculations using the output of eight WD merger simulations from Dan et al., which span a range of mass ratios and total masses. We generically find that the merger remnants evolve towards spherical states on time-scales of hours, even though a significant fraction of the mass is initially rotationally supported. The viscous evolution unbinds only a very small amount of mass (less than or similar to 10(-5)M(circle dot)). Viscous heating causes some of the systems we study with He WD secondaries to reach conditions of nearly-dynamical burning. It is thus possible that the post-merger viscous phase triggers detonation of the He envelope in some WD mergers, potentially producing a Type Ia supernova via a double-detonation scenario. Our calculations provide the proper initial conditions for studying the long-term thermal evolution of WD merger remnants. This is important for understanding WD mergers as progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, neutron stars, R Coronae Borealis stars and other phenomena.

More than 20 pre-cataclysmic variable (pre-CV) systems have now been discovered with very short orbital periods ranging from 250 min down to 68 min. A pre-CV consists of a white dwarf or hot subdwarf primary and a low-mass companion star, where the companion star has successfully ejected the common envelope of the primary progenitor, but mass transfer from the companion star to the primary has not yet commenced. In this short-period range, a substantial fraction of the companion stars are likely to be either brown dwarfs with masses $\lesssim 0.07 \, M_\odot$ or stars at the bottom of the MS ($\lesssim 0.1 M_\odot$). The discovery of these short-period pre-CVs raises the question -- what is the shortest possible orbital period of such systems? We ran 500 brown dwarf/low-mass main sequence models with {\tt MESA} that cover the mass range from 0.002 to 0.1 $M_\odot$. We find the shortest possible orbital period is 40 min with a corresponding brown dwarf mass of 0.07 $M_\odot$ for an age equal to a Hubble time. We discuss the past evolution of these systems through the common envelope and suggest that many of the systems with present day white dwarf primaries may have exited the common envelope with the primary as a helium burning hot subdwarf. We also characterize the future evolution of the observed systems, which includes a phase as CVs below the conventional period minimum., 13 pages, 7 figures, submitted to ApJ (July 26, 2018), corresponding author email: lnelson@ubishops.ca

We update the capabilities of the software instrument Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) and enhance its ease of use and availability. Our new approach to locating convective boundaries is consistent with the physics of convection, and yields reliable values of the convective-core mass during both hydrogen- and helium-burning phases. Stars with become white dwarfs and cool to the point where the electrons are degenerate and the ions are strongly coupled, a realm now available to study with MESA due to improved treatments of element diffusion, latent heat release, and blending of equations of state. Studies of the final fates of massive stars are extended in MESA by our addition of an approximate Riemann solver that captures shocks and conserves energy to high accuracy during dynamic epochs. We also introduce a 1D capability for modeling the effects of Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities that, in combination with the coupling to a public version of the radiation transfer instrument, creates new avenues for exploring Type II supernova properties. These capabilities are exhibited with exploratory models of pair-instability supernovae, pulsational pair-instability supernovae, and the formation of stellar-mass black holes. The applicability of MESA is now widened by the capability to import multidimensional hydrodynamic models into MESA. We close by introducing software modules for handling floating point exceptions and stellar model optimization, as well as four new software tools— , -Docker, , and mesastar.org—to enhance MESA's education and research impact.

When a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) progenitor first ignites carbon in its core, it undergoes ${\sim} \,10^{3}-10^{4} \,$yr of convective burning prior to the onset of thermonuclear runaway. This carbon simmering phase is important for setting the thermal profile and composition of the white dwarf. Using the \texttt{MESA} stellar evolution code, we follow this convective burning and examine the production of neutron-rich isotopes. The neutron content of the SN fuel has important consequences for the ensuing nucleosynthesis, and, in particular, for the production of secondary Fe-peak nuclei like Mn and stable Ni. These elements have been observed in the X-ray spectra of SN remnants like Tycho, Kepler, and 3C 397, and their yields can provide valuable insights into the physics of SNe Ia and the properties of their progenitors. We find that weak reactions during simmering can at most generate a neutron excess of ${\approx} \, 3 \times 10^{-4}$. This is ${\approx} \, 8 \times 10^{-4}$ lower than that found in previous studies that do not take the full density and temperature profile of the simmering region into account. Our results imply that the progenitor metallicity is the main contributor to the neutron excess in SN Ia fuel for $Z \gtrsim 1/3 \, Z_{\odot}$. Alternatively, at lower metallicities, this neutron excess provides a floor that should be present in any centrally-ignited SN~Ia scenario., Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in the ApJ

A hybrid C/O/Ne white dwarf (WD) -- an unburned C/O core surrounded by an O/Ne/Na mantle -- can be formed if the carbon flame is quenched in a super-AGB (SAGB) star or white dwarf merger remnant. We show that this segregated hybrid structure becomes unstable to rapid mixing within 2,000 years of the onset of WD cooling. Carbon burning includes a weak reaction that removes electrons, resulting in a lower electron-to-baryon ratio ($Y_{\rm e}$) in the regions processed by carbon burning compared to the unburned C/O core, making the O/Ne mantle denser than the C/O core as the WD cools. This is unstable to efficient mixing. We use the results of $\texttt{MESA}$ models with different size C/O cores to quantify the rate at which the cores mix with the mantle as they cool. In all cases, we find that the WDs undergo significant core/mantle mixing on timescales shorter than the time available to grow the WD to the Chandrasekhar mass ($M_{\rm Ch}$) by accretion. As a result, hybrid WDs that reach $M_{\rm Ch}$ due to later accretion will have lower central carbon fractions than assumed thus far. We briefly discuss the implications of these results for the possibility of Type Ia supernovae from hybrid WDs., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, updated to correct author affiliations

We substantially update the capabilities of the open-source software instrument Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA). MESA can now simultaneously evolve an interacting pair of differentially rotating stars undergoing transfer and loss of mass and angular momentum, greatly enhancing the prior ability to model binary evolution. New MESA capabilities in fully coupled calculation of nuclear networks with hundreds of isotopes now allow MESA to accurately simulate advanced burning stages needed to construct supernova progenitor models. Implicit hydrodynamics with shocks can now be treated with MESA, enabling modeling of the entire massive star lifecycle, from pre-main sequence evolution to the onset of core collapse and nucleosynthesis from the resulting explosion. Coupling of the GYRE non-adiabatic pulsation instrument with MESA allows for new explorations of the instability strips for massive stars while also accelerating the astrophysical use of asteroseismology data. We improve treatment of mass accretion, giving more accurate and robust near-surface profiles. A new MESA capability to calculate weak reaction rates "on-the-fly" from input nuclear data allows better simulation of accretion induced collapse of massive white dwarfs and the fate of some massive stars. We discuss the ongoing challenge of chemical diffusion in the strongly coupled plasma regime, and exhibit improvements in MESA that now allow for the simulation of radiative levitation of heavy elements in hot stars. We close by noting that the MESA software infrastructure provides bit-for-bit consistency for all results across all the supported platforms, a profound enabling capability for accelerating MESA's development., Published in the ApJ Supplement Series; updated to account for published erratum

The neutron excess at the time of explosion provides a powerful discriminant among models of Type Ia supernovae. Recent calculations of the carbon simmering phase in single degenerate progenitors have disagreed about the final neutron excess. We find that the treatment of mixing in convection zones likely contributes to the difference. We demonstrate that in MESA models, heating from exothermic weak reactions plays a significant role in raising the temperature of the WD. This emphasizes the important role that the convective Urca process plays during simmering. We briefly summarize the shortcomings of current models during this phase. Ultimately, we do not pinpoint the difference between the results reported in the literature, but show that the results are consistent with different net energetics of the convective Urca process. This problem serves as an important motivation for the development of models of the convective Urca process suitable for incorporation into stellar evolution codes., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures; Accepted to ApJ

We explore the evolution of the different ejecta components generated during the merger of a neutron star (NS) and a black hole (BH). Our focus is the interplay between material ejected dynamically during the merger, and the wind launched on a viscous timescale by the remnant accretion disk. These components are expected to contribute to an electromagnetic transient and to produce r-process elements, each with a different signature when considered separately. Here we introduce a two-step approach to investigate their combined evolution, using two- and three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. Starting from the output of a merger simulation, we identify each component in the initial condition based on its phase space distribution, and evolve the accretion disk in axisymmetry. The wind blown from this disk is injected into a three-dimensional computational domain where the dynamical ejecta is evolved. We find that the wind can suppress fallback accretion on timescales longer than ~100 ms. Due to self-similar viscous evolution, the disk accretion at late times nevertheless approaches a power-law time dependence $\propto t^{-2.2}$. This can power some late-time GRB engine activity, although the available energy is significantly less than in traditional fallback models. Inclusion of radioactive heating due to the r-process does not significantly affect the fallback accretion rate or the disk wind. We do not find any significant modification to the wind properties at large radius due to interaction with the dynamical ejecta. This is a consequence of the different expansion velocities of the two components., Comment: Accepted by MNRAS with minor changes. New Figure 11 comparing an extrapolation of the fallback and disk accretion rates to late times

In most astrophysical situations, the radioactive decay of 56Ni to 56Co occurs via electron capture with a fixed half-life of 6.1 days. However, this decay rate is significantly slowed when the nuclei are fully ionized because K-shell electrons are unavailable for capture. In this paper, we explore the effect of these delayed decays on white dwarfs (WDs) that may survive Type Ia and Type Iax supernovae (SNe Ia and SNe Iax). The energy released by the delayed radioactive decays of 56Ni and 56Co drives a persistent wind from the surviving WD's surface that contributes to the late-time appearance of these SNe after emission from the bulk of the SN ejecta has faded. We use the stellar evolution code MESA to calculate the hydrodynamical evolution and resulting light curves of these winds. Our post-SN Ia models conflict with late-time observations of SN 2011fe, but uncertainties in our initial conditions prevent us from ruling out the existence of surviving WD donors. Much better agreement with observations is achieved with our post-SN Iax bound remnant models, providing evidence that these explosions are due to deflagrations in accreting WDs that fail to completely unbind the WDs. Future radiative transfer calculations and wind models utilizing explosion simulations for more accurate initial conditions will extend our study of radioactively-powered winds from post-SN surviving WDs and enable their use as powerful discriminants among the various SN Ia and SN Iax progenitor scenarios., Accepted to ApJ. Very minor changes to previous version

White dwarfs accreting from helium stars can stably burn at the accreted rate and avoid the challenge of mass loss associated with unstable Helium burning that is a concern for many Type Ia supernovae scenarios. We study binaries with helium stars of mass $1.25 M_\odot\le M_{\rm{He}} \le 1.8 M_\odot$, which have lost their hydrogen rich envelopes in an earlier common envelope event and now orbit with periods ($P_{\rm orb}$) of several hours with non-rotating $0.84$ and $1.0 M_\odot$ C/O WDs. The helium stars fill their Roche lobes (RLs) after exhaustion of central helium and donate helium on their thermal timescales (${\sim}10^5$yr). As shown by others, these mass transfer rates coincide with the steady helium burning range for WDs, and grow the WD core up to near the Chandrasekhar mass ($M_{\rm Ch}$) and a core carbon ignition. We show here, however, that many of these scenarios lead to an ignition of hot carbon ashes near the outer edge of the WD and an inward going carbon flame that does not cause an explosive outcome. For $P_{\rm orb} = 3$ hours, $1.0 M_\odot$ C/O WDs with donor masses $M_{\rm He}\gtrsim1.8 M_\odot$ experience a shell carbon ignition, while $M_{\rm He}\lesssim1.3 M_\odot$ will fall below the steady helium burning range and undergo helium flashes before reaching core C ignition. Those with $1.3 M_\odot \lesssim M_{\rm He} \lesssim 1.7 M_\odot$ will experience a core C ignition. We also calculate the retention fraction of accreted helium when the accretion rate leads to recurrent weak helium flashes., 9 pages, 13 figures

Galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses with measured stellar velocity dispersions allow a test of the weak-field metric on kiloparsec scales and a geometric measurement of the cosmological distance-redshift relation, provided that the mass-dynamical structure of the lensing galaxies can be independently constrained to a sufficient degree. We combine data on 53 galaxy-scale strong lenses from the Sloan Lens ACS Survey with a well-motivated fiducial set of lens-galaxy parameters to find (1) a constraint on the post-Newtonian parameter gamma = 1.01 +/- 0.05 and (2) a determination of Omega_Lambda = 0.75 +/- 0.17 under the assumption of a flat universe. These constraints assume that the underlying observations and priors are free of systematic error. We evaluate the sensitivity of these results to systematic uncertainties in (1) total mass-profile shape, (2) velocity anisotropy, (3) light-profile shape, and (4) stellar velocity dispersion. Based on these sensitivities, we conclude that while such strong-lens samples can in principle provide an important tool for testing general relativity and cosmology, they are unlikely to yield precision measurements of gamma and Omega_Lambda unless the properties of the lensing galaxies are independently constrained with substantially greater accuracy than at present., 8 pages, 5 figures; Accepted to ApJ

We determine the most likely dark-matter fraction in the elliptical galaxy quadruply lensing the quasar PG1115+080 based on analyses of the X-ray fluxes of the individual images in 2000 and 2008. Between the two epochs, the A2 image of PG1115+080 brightened relative to the other images by a factor of six in X-rays. We argue that the A2 image had been highly demagnified in 2000 by stellar microlensing in the intervening galaxy and has recently crossed a caustic, thereby creating a new pair of micro-images and brightening in the process. Over the same period, the A2 image has brightened by a factor of only 1.2 in the optical. The most likely ratio of smooth material (dark matter) to clumpy material (stars) in the lensing galaxy to explain the observations is ~90% of the matter in a smooth dark-matter component and ~10% in stars., 7 pages, 9 figures, submitted to ApJ

We derive the kinetic luminosity function for flat spectrum radio jets, using the empirical and theoretical scaling relation between jet power and radio core luminosity. The normalization for this relation is derived from a sample of flat spectrum cores in galaxy clusters with jet-driven X-ray cavities. The total integrated jet power at z=0 is W_{tot} ~ 3x10^40 ergs/s/Mpc^{3}. By integrating W_{tot} over red-shift, we determine the total energy density deposited by jets as e_{tot} ~ 2x10^{58} ergs/Mpc^{3}. Both W_{tot} and e_{tot} are dominated by low luminosity sources. Comparing e_{tot} to the local black hole mass density rho_{BH} gives an average jet production efficiency of epsilon_{jet} = e_{jet}/rho_{BH}c^2 ~ 3%. Since black hole mass is accreted mainly during high luminosity states, epsilon_{jet} is likely much higher during low luminosity states., 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters