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yesterday

Astronomers Capture First Direct Image of Double-Detonation Supernova Remnant

The concentric calcium shells in the 300-year-old remnant confirm a two-stage explosion process in white dwarfs below the Chandrasekhar limit

Credit: ESO/P. Das et al. Background stars (Hubble): K. Noll et al.

Overview

  • Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope and the MUSE instrument mapped calcium in SNR 0509-67.5, revealing two distinct concentric shells as visual proof of a double detonation.
  • Published July 2 in Nature Astronomy, the study led by Priyam Das and Ivo Seitenzahl shows an initial helium-shell ignition triggered a secondary core explosion before the white dwarf reached 1.4 solar masses.
  • This empirical confirmation of the sub-Chandrasekhar double-detonation model challenges the sole reliance on the Chandrasekhar mass scenario for Type Ia supernovae.
  • Revised explosion physics will inform nucleosynthesis pathways for iron and heavy elements and refine calibrations of Type Ia supernovae as standard candles in cosmology.
  • An international team plans follow-up spectroscopic surveys of other young Type Ia remnants to determine how common sub-Chandrasekhar double detonations are in nature.