Accreting CO material onto ONe white dwarfs towards accretion-induced collapse

The final outcomes of accreting ONe white dwarfs（ONe WDs） have been studied for several decades,but there are still some issues that are not resolved. Recently,some studies suggested that the deflagration of oxygen would occur for accreting ONe WDs with Chandrasekhar masses. In this paper,we aim to investigate whether ONe WDs can experience accretion-induced collapse（AIC） or explosions when their masses approach the Chandrasekhar limit. Employing the stellar evolution code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics（MESA）,we simulate the longterm evolution of ONe WDs with accreting CO material. The ONe WDs undergo weak multicycle carbon flashes during the mass-accretion process,leading to mass increase of the WDs. We found that different initial WD masses and mass-accretion rates influence the evolution of central density and temperature. However,the central temperature cannot reach the explosive oxygen ignition temperature due to neutrino cooling. This work implies that the final outcome of accreting ONe WDs is electroncapture induced collapse rather than thermonuclear explosion.

Mass-accreting white dwarfs and type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae（SNe Ia） play a prominent role in understanding the evolution of the Universe. They are thought to be thermonuclear explosions of mass-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs（CO WDs） in binaries, although the mass donors of the accreting WDs are still not well determined. In this article, I review recent studies on mass-accreting WDs, including H-and He-accreting WDs. I also review currently most studied progenitor models of SNe Ia, i.e., the single-degenerate model（including the WD＋MS channel, the WD＋RG channel and the WD＋He star channel）, the doubledegenerate model（including the violent merger scenario） and the sub-Chandrasekhar mass model.Recent progress on these progenitor models is discussed, including the initial parameter space for producing SNe Ia, the binary evolutionary paths to SNe Ia, the progenitor candidates for SNe Ia, the possible surviving companion stars of SNe Ia, some observational constraints, etc. Some other potential progenitor models of SNe Ia are also summarized, including the hybrid CONe WD model, the core-degenerate model, the double WD collision model, the spin-up/spin-down model and the model of WDs near black holes. To date, it seems that two or more progenitor models are needed to explain the observed diversity among SNe Ia.

The mass limit of white dwarfs with strong magnetic fields in general relativity

Recently, U. Das and B. Mukhopadhyay proposed that the Chandrasekhar limit of a white dwarf could reach a new high level （2.58M） if a superstrong magnetic field were considered （Das U and Mukhopadhyay B 2013 Phys. Rev. Lett. 110 071102）, where the structure of the strongly magnetized white dwarf （SMWD） is calculated in the framework of Newtonian theory （NT）. As the SMWD has a far smaller size, in contrast with the usual expectation, we found that there is an obvious general relativistic effect （GRE） in the SMWD. For example, for the SMWD with a one Landau level system, the super-Chandrasekhar mass limit in general relativity （GR） is approximately 16.5% lower than that in NT. More interestingly, the maximal mass of the white dwarf will be first increased when the magnetic field strength keeps on increasing and reaches the maximal value M = 2.48MQ with BD = 391.5. Then if we further increase the magnetic fields, surprisingly, the maximal mass of the white dwarf will decrease when one takes the GRE into account.

The C/O ratio of He-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs and type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia)are thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs(CO WDs),and are believed to be excellent cosmological distance indicators due to their high luminosity and remarkable uniformity.However,there exists a diversity among SNe Ia,and a poor understanding of the diversity hampers the improvement of the accuracy of cosmological distance measurements.The variations of the ratios of carbon to oxygen(C/O)of WDs at explosion are suggested to contribute to the diversity.In the canonical model of SNe Ia,a CO WD accretes matter from its companion and increases its mass till the Chandrasekhar mass limit when the WD explodes.In this work,we studied the C/O ratio for accreting CO WDs.Employing the stellar evolution code MESA,we simulated the accretion of He-rich material onto CO WDs with different initial WD masses and different mass accretion rates.We found that the C/O ratio varies for different cases.The C/O ratio of He-accreting CO WDs at explosion increases with a decreasing initial WD mass or a decreasing accretion rate.The various C/O ratios may,therefore,contribute to the diversity of SNe Ia.

Accreting He-rich material onto carbon-oxygen white dwarfs until explosive carbon ignition

Type Ia supernovae （SNe Ia） play an important role in studies of cosmology and galactic chemi- cal evolution. They are believed to be thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs （CO WDs） when their masses approach the Chandrasekar （Ch） mass limit. However, it is still not completely under- stood how a CO WD increases its mass to the Ch-mass limit in the classical single-degenerate （SD） model. In this paper, we studied the mass accretion process in the SD model to examine whether the WD can explode as an SN Ia. Employing the stellar evolution code called modules for experiments in stellar as- trophysics （MESA）, we simulated the He accretion process onto CO WDs. We found that the WD can increase its mass to the Ch-mass limit through the SD model and explosive carbon ignition finally occurs in its center, which will lead to an SN Ia explosion. Our results imply that SNe Ia can be produced from the SD model through steady helium accretion. Moreover, this work can provide initial input parameters for explosion models of SNe Ia.

The cooling time of white dwarfs produced from type Iasupernovae

Type Ia supernovae （SNe Ia） play a key role in measuring cosmological parameters, in which the Phillips relation is adopted. However, the origin of the relation is still unclear. Several parameters are suggested, e.g. the relative content of carbon to oxygen （C/O） and the central density of the white dwarf （WD） at ignition. These parameters are mainly determined by the WD＇s initial mass and its cooling time, respectively. Using the progenitor model developed by Meng ＆ Yang, we present the distributions of the initial WD mass and the cooling time. We do not find any correlation between these parameters. However, we notice that as the range of the WD＇s mass decreases, its average value increases with the cooling time. These results could provide a constraint when simulating the SN Ia explosion, i.e. the WDs with a high C/O ratio usually have a lower central density at ignition, while those having the highest central density at ignition generally have a lower C/O ratio. The cooling time is mainly determined by the evolutionary age of secondaries, and the scatter of the cooling time decreases with the evolutionary age. Our results may indicate that WDs with a long cooling time have more uniform properties than those with a short cooling time, which may be helpful to explain why SNe Ia in elliptical galaxies have a more uniform maximum luminosity than those in spiral galaxies.

The formation of neutron star systems through accretion-induced collapse in white-dwarf binaries

The accretion-induced collapse(AIC)scenario was proposed 40 years ago as an evolutionary end state of oxygen-neon white dwarfs(ONe WDs),linking them to the formation of neutron star(NS)systems.However,there has been no direct detection of any AIC event so far,even though there exists a lot of indirect observational evidence.Meanwhile,the evolutionary pathways resulting in NS formation through AIC are still not thoroughly investigated.In this article,we review recent studies on the two classic progenitor models of AIC events,i.e.,the single-degenerate model(including the ONe WD+MS/RG/He star channels and the CO WD+He star channel)and the double-degenerate model(including the double CO WD channel,the double ONe WD channel and the ONe WD+CO WD channel).Recent progress on these progenitor models is reviewed,including the evolutionary scenarios leading to AIC events,the initial parameter space for producing AIC events and the related objects(e.g.,the pre-AIC systems and the post-AIC systems).For the single-degenerate model,the pre-AIC systems(i.e.,the progenitor systems of AIC events)could potentially be identified as supersoft X-ray sources,symbiotics and cataclysmic variables(such as classical novae,recurrent novae,Ne novae and He novae)in the observations,whereas the post-AIC systems(i.e.,NS systems)could potentially be identified as low-/intermediate-mass X-ray binaries,and the resulting low-/intermediate-mass binary pulsars,most notably millisecond pulsars.For the double-degenerate model,the pre-AIC systems are close double WDs with short orbital periods,whereas the post-AIC systems are single isolated NSs that may correspond to a specific kind of NS with peculiar properties.We also review the predicted rates of AIC events,the mass distribution of NSs produced via AIC and the gravitational wave(GW)signals from double WDs that are potential GW sources in the Galaxy in the context of future spacebased GW detectors,such as LISA,TianQin,Taiji,etc.Recent theoretical and observational constraints on the detection of AIC events are summarized.In order to confirm the existence of the AIC process,and resolve this long-term issue presented by current stellar evolution theories,more numerical simulations and observational identifications are required.

Quark-novae in neutron star - white dwarf binaries: a model for luminous (spin-down powered) sub-Chandrasekhar-mass Type Ia supernovae?

We show that, by appealing to a Quark-Nova （QN） in a tight binary system containing a massive neutron star and a CO white dwarf （WD）, a Type Ia explosion could occur. The QN ejecta collides with the WD, driving a shock that triggers carbon burning under degenerate conditions （the QN-Ia）. The conditions in the compressed low-mass WD （MwD 〈 0.9 M） in our model mimic those of a Chandrasekhar mass WD. The spin-down luminosity from the QN compact remnant （the quark star） pro- vides additional power that makes the QN-Ia light-curve brighter and broader than a standard SN-Ia with similar 56Ni yield. In QNe-Ia, photometry and spectroscopy are not necessarily linked since the kinetic energy of the ejecta has a contribution from spin-down power and nuclear decay. Although QNe-Ia may not obey the Phillips relationship, their brightness and their relatively ＂normal looking＂ light-curves mean they could be included in the cosmological sample. Light-curve fitters would be con- fused by the discrepancy between spectroscopy at peak and photometry and would correct for it by effectively brightening or dimming the QNe-Ia apparent magnitudes, thus over- or under-estimating the true magnitude of these spin-down powered SNe-Ia. Contamination of QNe-Ia in samples of SNe-Ia used for cosmological analyses could systematically bias measurements of cosmological parameters if QNe-Ia are numerous enough at high-redshift. The strong mixing induced by spin-down wind combined with the low 56Ni yields in QNe-Ia means that these would lack a secondary maximum in the/-band despite their luminous nature. We discuss possible QNe-Ia progenitors.

Hydrogen and helium shell burning during white dwarf accretion

Type Ia supernovae（SNe Ia） are believed to be thermonuclear explosions of carbon oxygen（CO） white dwarfs（WDs） with masses close to the Chandrasekhar mass limit. How a CO WD accretes matter and grows in mass to this limit is not well understood, hindering our understanding of SN Ia explosions and the reliability of using SNe Ia as a cosmological distance indicator. In this work, we employed the stellar evolution code MESA to simulate the accretion process of hydrogen-rich material onto a 1.0 M⊙CO WD at a high rate（over the Eddington limit） of 4.3 × 10^-7 M⊙yr^-1. The simulation demonstrates the characteristics of the double shell burning on top of the WD, with a hydrogen shell burning on top of a helium burning shell. The results show that helium shell burning is not steady（i.e.it flashes）. Flashes from the helium shell are weaker than those in the case of accretion of helium-rich material onto a CO WD. The carbon to oxygen mass ratio resulting from the helium shell burning is higher than what was previously thought. Interestingly, the CO WD growing due to accretion has an outer part containing a small fraction of helium in addition to carbon and oxygen. The flashes become weaker and weaker as the accretion continues.

The gravitational wave emission of double white dwarf coalescences

Type Ia Supernovae(SNe Ia)are widely used as standard candles to probe the Universe.However,how these fierce explosions are produced itself is still a highly debated issue.There are mainly two popular models for SNe Ia:the double-degenerate scenario and the single-degenerate scenario.The doubledegenerate scenario suggests that SNe Ia are produced by the coalescence of two degenerate white dwarfs,while the single-degenerate scenario suggests that the continuous accretion of a single degenerate white dwarf from its normal stellar companion will finally lead to a disastrous explosion when it is over-massive,resulting in an SN Ia.The rapid development of the gravitational wave astronomy sheds new light on the nature of SNe Ia.In this study,we calculate the gravitational wave emissions of double white dwarf coalescences and compare them with the sensitivities of several upcoming detectors.It is found that the gravitational wave emissions from double white dwarf mergers in the local universe are strong enough to be detected by LISA.We argue that LISA-like gravitational wave detectors sensitive in the frequency range of 0.01—0.1 Hz will be a powerful tool to test the double-degenerate model of SNe Ia,and also to probe the Universe.

A likely candidate of type Ia supernova progenitors: the X-ray pulsating companion of the hot subdwarf HD 49798

HD 49798 is a hydrogen depleted subdwarf 06 star and has an X-ray pulsating companion （RX J0648.0-4418）. The X-ray pulsating companion is a massive white dwarf. Employing Eggleton＇s stellar evolution code with the optically thick wind assumption, we find that the hot subdwarf HD 49798 and its X-ray pulsating companion could produce a type Ia supernova （SN Ia） in future evolution. This implies that the binary system is a likely candidate of an SN Ia progenitor. We also discuss the possibilities of some other WD ＋ He star systems （e.g. V445 Pup and KPD 1930＋2752） for producing SNe Ia.

A Study of Magnetized White Dwarf+Helium Star Binary Evolution to Type Ia Supernovae

The white dwarf(WD)+helium(He)star binary channel plays an important role in the single degenerate scenario for the progenitors of type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia).Previous studies on the WD+main sequence star evolution have shown that the magnetic fields of WDs may significantly influence their accretion and nuclear burning processes.In this work we focus on the evolution of magnetized WD+He star binaries with detailed stellar evolution and binary population synthesis(BPS)calculations.In the case of magnetized WDs,the magnetic fields may disrupt the inner regions of the accretion disk,funnel the accretion flow onto the polar caps and even confine helium burning within the caps.We find that,for WDs with sufficiently strong magnetic fields,the parameter space of the potential SN Ia progenitor systems shrinks toward shorter orbital periods and lower donor masses compared with that in the non-magnetized WD case.The reason is that the magnetic confinement usually works with relatively high mass transfer rates,which can trigger strong wind mass loss from the WD,thus limiting the He-rich mass accumulation efficiency.The surviving companion stars are likely of low-mass at the moment of the SN explosions,which can be regarded as a possible explanation for the non-detection of surviving companions after the SNe or inside the SN remnants.However,the corresponding birthrate of Galactic SNe Ia in our high-magnetic models is estimated to be~(0.08–0.13)×10^(-3)yr^(-1)(~0.17–0.28×10^(-3)yr^(-1)for the non-magnetic models),significantly lower than the observed Galactic SN Ia birthrate.

Asteroseismology of DAV white dwarf stars and G29–38

Asteroseismology is a powerful tool used for detecting the inner structure of stars, which is also widely used to study white dwarfs. We discuss the asteroseismology of DAV stars. The period-to-period fitting method is discussed in detail, including its reliability in detecting the inner structure of DAV stars. If we assume that all observed modes of some DAV stars are the l = I cases, the errors associated with model fitting will be always large. If we assume that the observed modes are com- posed of I = 1 and 2 modes, the errors associated with model fitting in this case will be small. However, there will be modes identified as l = 2 that do not have ob- served quintuplets. G29-38 has been observed spectroscopically and photometrically for many years. Thompson et al. made 1 modes identifications in the star through the limb darkening effect. With 11 known I modes, we also study the asteroseismology of G29-38, which reduces the blind l fittings and is a fair choice. Unfortunately, our two best-fitting models are not in line with the previous atmospheric results. Based on factors like only a few observed modes, stability and identification of eigenmodes, identification of spherical degrees, construction of physical and realistic models and so on, detecting the inner structure of DAV stars by asteroseismology needs further development.

Color excesses of type Ia supernovae from the single-degenerate channel model

The single degenerate model is the most widely accepted progenitor model of type Ia supernovae （SNe Ia）, in which a carbon-oxygen white dwarf （CO WD） accretes hydrogen-rich material from a main sequence or a slightly evolved star （WD＋MS） to increase its mass, and explodes when its mass approaches the Chandrasekhar mass limit. During the mass transfer phase between the two components, an optically thick wind may occur and the material lost as wind may exist as circumstellar material （CSM）. Searching for the CSM around a progenitor star is helpful for discriminating different progenitor models of SNe Ia. In addition, the CSM is a source of color excess. The purpose of this paper is to study the color excess produced from the single-degenerate progenitor model with an optically thick wind, and reproduce the distribution of color excesses of SNe Ia. Meng et al. systemically carded out binary evolution calculations of the WD ＋MS systems for various metallicities and showed the parameters of the systems before Roche lobe overflow and at the moment of supernova explosion in Meng ＆ Yang. With the results of Meng et al., we calculate the color excesses of SNe Ia at maximum light via a simple analytic method. We reproduce the distribution of color excesses of SNe Ia by our binary population synthesis approach if the velocity of the optically thick wind is taken to be an order of magnitude of 10km s^-1. However, if the wind velocity is larger than 100km s^-1, the reproduction is bad.

Stellar structure model in hydrostatic equilibrium in the context of f(R)-gravity

In this work we present a stellar structure model from the f（R）-gravity point of view capable of describing some classes of stars（white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, neutron stars, red giants and the Sun）. This model is based on f（R）-gravity field equations for f（R） = R ＋ f2R2, hydrostatic equilibrium equation and a polytropic equation of state. We compare the results obtained with those found by Newtonian theory. It has been observed that in these systems, where high curvature regimes emerge,stellar structure equations undergo modifications. Despite the simplicity of this model, the results are satisfactory. The estimated values of pressure, density and temperature of the stars are within those determined by observations. This f（R）-gravity model has proved to be necessary to describe stars with strong fields such as white dwarfs, neutron stars and brown dwarfs, while stars with weaker fields, such as red giants and the Sun, are best described by Newtonian theory.

Past and future of the central double-degenerate core of Henize 2–428

It has been suggested that Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) could be produced in the conditions of the violent merger scenario of the double-degenerate model, in which a thermonuclear explosion could be produced when a double carbon-oxygen white dwarf(CO WD) merges. It has been recently found that the nucleus of the bipolar planetary nebula Henize 2–428 consists of a double CO WD system that has a total mass of^1.76 M⊙, a mass ratio of^1 and an orbital period of^4.2 h, which is the first and only discovered progenitor candidate for an SN Ia predicted by the violent merger scenario. In this work, we aim to reproduce the evolutionary history of the central double CO WD of Henize 2–428. We find that the planetary nebula Henize 2–428 may originate from a primordial binary that has a^5.4 M⊙primary and a^2.7 M⊙secondary with an initial orbital period of^15.9 d. The double CO WD was formed after the primordial binary experienced two Roche-lobe overflows and two common-envelope ejection processes.According to our calculations, it takes about^840 Myr for the double CO WD to merge and form an SN Ia driven by gravitational wave radiation after their birth. To produce the current status of Henize 2–428,a large common-envelope parameter is needed. We also estimate that the rate of SNe Ia from the violent merger scenario is at most 2.9 × 10^(-4) yr^(-1), and that the delay time is in the range of^90 Myr to the Hubble time.

Pre-explosion Helium Shell Flash in Type Ia Supernovae

I study the possibility that within the frame of the core degenerate(CD)scenario for type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia)the merger process of the core of the asymptotic giant branch(AGB)star and the white dwarf(WD)maintains an envelope mass of≈0.03 Mthat causes a later helium shell flash.I estimate the number of pre-explosion helium shell flash events to be less than a few per cent of all CD scenario SNe Ia.A helium shell flash while the star moves to the left on the HR diagram as a post-AGB star(late thermal pulse—LTP)or along the WD cooling track(very LTP—VLTP)causes the star to expand and become a“born again”AGB star.Merger remnants exploding while still on the AGB form hydrogen-polluted peculiar SNe Ia,while an explosion inside an inflated born-again star results in an early flux excess in the light curve of the SN Ia.The fraction of systems that might show an early flux excess due to LTP/VLTP is<few×10^(-4) of all SNe Ia,much below the observed fraction.In the frame of the CD scenario SNe Ia with early flux excess result from SN ejecta collision with planetary nebula fallback gas,or from mixing of ^(56) Ni to the outer regions of the SN ejecta.Ongoing sky surveys might find about one case per year where LTP/VLTP influences the SN light curve.

Binary population synthesis study of the supersoft X-ray phase of single degenerate type Ia supernova progenitors

In the single degenerate （SD） scenario for type Ia supernovae （SNe Ia）, a mass-accreting white dwarf is expected to experience a supersoft X-ray source （SSS） phase. However, some recent observations showed that the expected number of massaccreting WDs is much lower than that predicted from theory, regardless of whether they are in spiral or elliptical galaxies. In this paper, we performed a binary population synthesis study on the relative duration of the SSS phase to their whole mass-increasing phase of WDs leading to SNe Ia. We found that for about 40% of the progenitor systems, the relative duration is shorter than 2% and the evolution of the mean relative duration shows that it is always smaller than 5%, both for young and old SNe Ia. In addition, before the SNe Ia explosions, more than 55% of the progenitor systems were experiencing a dwarf novae phase and no more than 10% were staying in the SSS phase. These results are consistent with the recent observations and imply that both in early- and late-type galaxies, only a small fraction of mass-accreting WDs resulting in SNe Ia contributes to the supersoft X-ray flux. So, although our results are not directly related to the X-ray output of the SN Ia progenitor, the low supersoft X- ray luminosity observed in early type galaxies may not be able to exclude the validity of the SD model. On the contrary, it is evidence to support the SD scenario.

Double-detonation model of type Ia supernovae with a variable helium layer ignition mass

Although Type Ia supernovae （SNe Ia） play an important role in the study of cosmology, their progenitors are still poorly understood. Thermonuclear explosions from the helium double-detonation sub-Chandrasekhar mass model have been considered as an alternative method for producing SNe Ia. By adopting the assumption that a double detonation occurs when a He layer with a critical ignition mass accumulates on the surface of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf （CO WD）, we perform detailed binary evolution calculations for the He double-detonation model, in which a He layer from a He star accumulates on a CO WD. According to these calculations, we obtain the initial parameter spaces for SNe Ia in the orbital period and secondary mass plane for various initial WD masses. We implement these results into a detailed binary population synthesis approach to calculate SN Ia birthrates and delay times. From this model, the SN Ia birthrate in our Galaxy is ～0.4 - 1.6 × 10^-3 yr^-1. This indicates that the double-detonation model only produces part of the SNe la. The delay times from this model are ～ 70 - 710 Myr, which contribute to the young population of SNe Ia in the observations. We found that the CO WD ＋ sdB star system CD-30 11223 could produce an SN Ia via the double-detonation model in its future evolution.

Magnetic interaction in ultra-compact binary systems

This article reviews the current works on ultra-compact double-degenerate binaries in the presence of magnetic interaction, in particular, unipolar induction. The orbital dynamics and evolution of compact white-dwarf pairs are discussed in detail. Models and predictions of electron cyclotron masers from unipolar-inductor compact binaries and unipolar-inductor white-dwarf planetary systems are presented. Einstein-Laub effects in compact binaries are briefly discussed.