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2d ago

Astronomers Capture First Visual Proof of White Dwarf’s Double-Detonation

ESO’s Very Large Telescope images reveal concentric calcium shells that validate the helium-triggered double-detonation mechanism

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

Overview

  • New findings published July 2 in Nature Astronomy show the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5 in the Large Magellanic Cloud contains two concentric shells of calcium.
  • Observations with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope mapped the distribution of calcium, distinguishing the separate surface and core explosions.
  • Detected calcium layers provide the first direct visual evidence that some white dwarfs undergo a helium-shell ignition followed by a secondary core detonation.
  • The results confirm that Type Ia supernovae can detonate below the Chandrasekhar mass limit, challenging the traditional single-explosion model.
  • Validating the double-detonation mechanism refines our knowledge of stellar death, iron synthesis in supernovae, and the reliability of Type Ia events as cosmic distance markers.