Scientists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using their Titan supercomputer to explore the physics of Type Ia supernovas, also called white dwarf stars, due to their ability to provide accurate and reliable distance marking for objects that are beyond our local galaxy groups. The findings are currently being published through numerous consecutive studies in the The Astrophysical Journal and researchers say they hope to continue paving the way towards a more comprehensive mapping of the cosmos.
The team, led by Michael Zingale, recently created a three-dimensional (3-D) high-resolution investigation of Type Ia supernovae, which are also known as double-detonation supernovae, and shed light on the process of thermonuclear burning that occurs just before explosion and is unique to these kinds of white dwarf stars. These results built upon the team's earlier research from 2013 that also focused on creating a 3-D replica of this type of supernova scenario.
"In 3-D simulations, we can see the region of convective burning drill down deeper and deeper into the star under the right conditions," Adam Jacobs, a graduate student working on the team with Zingale, said in a press release. "Higher mass and more burning force the convection to be more violent. These results will be useful in future studies that explore the subsequent explosion in three-dimensional detail."
The research is set to create the first realistic 3-D simulation of a double-detonation supernova and by shedding light on the physics of these exploding stars, astronomers can better understand astrophysical events and improve the accuracy of their cosmological measurements.
In addition to Type Ia supernovae, the team is also using the Titan supercomputer to explore other astrophysical phenomena including x-ray bursts, which is an explosive event that stems from the buildup of helium and hydrogen on the surface of a neutron star.
"Ultimately, we hope to understand how convection behaves in these stellar systems," Zingale said. "Now we want to do bigger and better, and Titan is what we need to achieve that."
