Asymmetric Circumstellar Matter in Type Ia Supernova Remnants
Abstract
The progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe) are not well understood, but are likely to be of diverse origin, including single- and double-degenerate binary systems. Among single-degenerate progenitors, substantial amounts of circumstellar material (CSM) are expelled prior to the SN explosions by asymptotic giant branch (AGB) companions to the accreting white dwarfs. A subsequent collision of SN ejecta with the dense AGB wind has been detected among several distant SNe such as SN 2002ic, SN 2008J, and more recently PTF11kx. Dense CSM ejected by an AGB companion is present in the remnant of Kepler's SN of 1604, a Type Ia event. Observations of distant SNe hint at strongly asymmetric CSM distributions. A recent study of the CSM in Kepler's SNR by Burkey et al. indicates a large (factor of 10) density contrast between the dense, disk-like equatorial outflow and the more tenuous AGB wind above the orbital plane. A significant fraction of mature Type Ia SNRs in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) shows the presence of dense Fe-rich ejecta in their interiors that cannot be explained by standard models of Type Ia explosions in a uniform ambient interstellar medium. We explore the hypothesis that these remnants originated in Type Ia explosions with strongly asymmetric CSM distributions such as found in Kepler's SNR. We present results of 2-D hydrodynamical simulations of the interaction of SN ejecta with asymmetric, disk-like AGB winds throughout the whole adiabatic stage of SNR evolution. Dense, asymmetric, and highly-ionized Fe-rich ejecta are indeed present in the simulated remnants, while the blast wave assumes a spherical shape shortly after passage through the ambient CSM. We also present simulated X-ray images and spectra and compare them with X-ray observations of selected remnants in the LMC. These remnants include DEM L238 and L249, recently observed by Suzaku, whose X-ray emission is strongly dominated by dense Fe-rich ejecta in their interiors. We contrast these remnants to more typical mature Type Ia SNRs such as 0534-69.9 and 0548-70.4 whose Suzaku spectra can be satisfactorily modeled with standard (without any CSM) X-ray models for Type Ia SNRs.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #221
- Pub Date:
- January 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AAS...22124913B