Non-Linear Thin-Shell Instability in the Type Ia Supernova 2002ic
Abstract
SN 2002ic is a unique example of a Type Ia supernova showing evidence of strong circumstellar interaction. Chugai et al. (2004, MNRAS 355, 627) postulated that the flat-topped line profile of the CaII emission is the result of a dynamical instability shredding the shocked ejecta into filaments. This instability arises because the interaction with a dense circumstellar medium leads to strong radiative cooling of both the shocked ejecta and the shocked circumstellar medium. The intershock region then collapses into a thin shell subject to non-linear thin shell instability and becomes ripped apart. In their analysis, they modeled the remnants of this instability as randomly-oriented, extremely thin and dense fragments. We test this hypothesis by using 3D hydrodynamic simulations to study the role of dynamical instabilities in shredding the thin supernova shell and to quantify the resulting structure of dense filaments and slabs. Our simulations confirm that the blastwave does undergo non-linear thin shell instability as it hits the surrounding gas. From this, we quantify the geometric parameters introduced by Chugai et al. to describe the filaments of shocked ejecta, including the volume filling fraction, the surface area ratio, and the optical depth.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #216
- Pub Date:
- May 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AAS...21642802B