TY - JOUR
T1 - Hubble's constant and exploding carbon-oxygen white dwarf models for Type I supernovae
AU - Arnett, W. David
AU - Branch, David
AU - Wheeler, J. Craig
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - The immediate progenitor of a Type I supernova (SN I) is thought to be a mass-accreting carbon-oxygen (C-O) white dwarf in a binary system. When the mass of the white dwarf approaches the Chandrasekhar mass (1.4 M⊙) the C-O nuclear fuel ignites, part of the star is incinerated to radioactive 56Ni, and the thermonuclear energy completely disrupts the star. The optical luminosity results from the trapping and thermalization of the γ rays and positrons emitted by the decay of 56Ni through 56Co to stable 56Fe. The amount of 56Ni synthesized, MNi, and the corresponding peak luminosity, L max, can be used with the observed Hubble diagram for SN I to determine the value of Hubble's constant, H0. We argue here that if this model is correct, MNi is in the range 0.4-1.4 M ⊙, the best estimate being 0.6 M⊙, and that H0 is in the range 39-73 km s-1 Mpc-1 with a best estimate of 59 km s-1 Mpc-1. This line of reasoning does not require knowledge of the temperature of the supernova and, therefore, is not subject to the uncertainties associated with attempts to determine supernova luminosities and distances by the Baade method1. It relies on the physical correctness of the model, which is subject to independent tests.
AB - The immediate progenitor of a Type I supernova (SN I) is thought to be a mass-accreting carbon-oxygen (C-O) white dwarf in a binary system. When the mass of the white dwarf approaches the Chandrasekhar mass (1.4 M⊙) the C-O nuclear fuel ignites, part of the star is incinerated to radioactive 56Ni, and the thermonuclear energy completely disrupts the star. The optical luminosity results from the trapping and thermalization of the γ rays and positrons emitted by the decay of 56Ni through 56Co to stable 56Fe. The amount of 56Ni synthesized, MNi, and the corresponding peak luminosity, L max, can be used with the observed Hubble diagram for SN I to determine the value of Hubble's constant, H0. We argue here that if this model is correct, MNi is in the range 0.4-1.4 M ⊙, the best estimate being 0.6 M⊙, and that H0 is in the range 39-73 km s-1 Mpc-1 with a best estimate of 59 km s-1 Mpc-1. This line of reasoning does not require knowledge of the temperature of the supernova and, therefore, is not subject to the uncertainties associated with attempts to determine supernova luminosities and distances by the Baade method1. It relies on the physical correctness of the model, which is subject to independent tests.
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U2 - 10.1038/314337a0
DO - 10.1038/314337a0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0000972843
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 314
SP - 337
EP - 338
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 6009
ER -