A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139
We present the discovery and analysis of a nearby eclipsing ultracompact accreting binary SMSS J1138−5139, the first well-constrained LISA-detectable Type Ia supernova progenitor. Our time-series optical spectroscopy identifies its orbital period through radial velocity monitoring at ${P}_{\mathrm{o...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add1cf |
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| author | Alekzander Kosakowski Matti Dorsch Warren R. Brown Thomas Kupfer Fatma Ben Daya Mukremin Kilic |
| author_facet | Alekzander Kosakowski Matti Dorsch Warren R. Brown Thomas Kupfer Fatma Ben Daya Mukremin Kilic |
| author_sort | Alekzander Kosakowski |
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| description | We present the discovery and analysis of a nearby eclipsing ultracompact accreting binary SMSS J1138−5139, the first well-constrained LISA-detectable Type Ia supernova progenitor. Our time-series optical spectroscopy identifies its orbital period through radial velocity monitoring at ${P}_{\mathrm{orb,RV}}=27.682\,\mathrm{minutes}$ , twice the photometric period seen in 2 minute cadence data from TESS Sector 37. We model our optical spectroscopy together with new simultaneous multiband time-series photometry from Gemini to place constraints on the binary parameters. Our light-curve modeling finds that SMSS J1138−5139 contains an M _2 = 0.25 ± 0.01 M _⊙ pre-white-dwarf donor with a massive M _1 = 1.02 ± 0.05 M _⊙ white dwarf accretor at orbital inclination $i=88\mathop{.}\limits^{\circ }6\pm 0\mathop{.}\limits^{\circ }1$ . Based on our photometrically derived system parameters, we expect that gravitational-wave radiation will drive SMSS J1138−5139 to a merger within τ = 5.7 ± 0.3 Myr and result in a Type Ia supernova. Even without a direct merger event, the component masses of SMSS J1138−5139 and active hydrogen accretion suggest that eventual helium accretion will likely also trigger a Type Ia supernova explosion through the dynamically driven double-degenerate double-detonation (D6) channel. We expect LISA to detect the gravitational-wave emission from SMSS J1138−5139 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 7–10 after a 48 month mission. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-2cef765387414539bbb3f13fda2efc352025-08-20T02:36:19ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01987220510.3847/1538-4357/add1cfA New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139Alekzander Kosakowski0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9878-1647Matti Dorsch1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5400-2368Warren R. Brown2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4462-2341Thomas Kupfer3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6540-1484Fatma Ben Daya4Mukremin Kilic5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6098-2235Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University , 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USAInstitut für Physik und Astronomie, Universität Potsdam , Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, 14476 Potsdam, GermanyCenter for Astrophysics , Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 012138, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University , 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; Hamburger Sternwarte, University of Hamburg , Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg, GermanyHamburger Sternwarte, University of Hamburg , Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg, GermanyHomer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma , 440 W. Brooks St., Norman, OK 73019, USAWe present the discovery and analysis of a nearby eclipsing ultracompact accreting binary SMSS J1138−5139, the first well-constrained LISA-detectable Type Ia supernova progenitor. Our time-series optical spectroscopy identifies its orbital period through radial velocity monitoring at ${P}_{\mathrm{orb,RV}}=27.682\,\mathrm{minutes}$ , twice the photometric period seen in 2 minute cadence data from TESS Sector 37. We model our optical spectroscopy together with new simultaneous multiband time-series photometry from Gemini to place constraints on the binary parameters. Our light-curve modeling finds that SMSS J1138−5139 contains an M _2 = 0.25 ± 0.01 M _⊙ pre-white-dwarf donor with a massive M _1 = 1.02 ± 0.05 M _⊙ white dwarf accretor at orbital inclination $i=88\mathop{.}\limits^{\circ }6\pm 0\mathop{.}\limits^{\circ }1$ . Based on our photometrically derived system parameters, we expect that gravitational-wave radiation will drive SMSS J1138−5139 to a merger within τ = 5.7 ± 0.3 Myr and result in a Type Ia supernova. Even without a direct merger event, the component masses of SMSS J1138−5139 and active hydrogen accretion suggest that eventual helium accretion will likely also trigger a Type Ia supernova explosion through the dynamically driven double-degenerate double-detonation (D6) channel. We expect LISA to detect the gravitational-wave emission from SMSS J1138−5139 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 7–10 after a 48 month mission.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add1cfEclipsing binary starsGravitational wave sourcesInteracting binary starsWhite dwarf starsSubdwarf stars |
| spellingShingle | Alekzander Kosakowski Matti Dorsch Warren R. Brown Thomas Kupfer Fatma Ben Daya Mukremin Kilic A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139 The Astrophysical Journal Eclipsing binary stars Gravitational wave sources Interacting binary stars White dwarf stars Subdwarf stars |
| title | A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139 |
| title_full | A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139 |
| title_fullStr | A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139 |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139 |
| title_short | A New LISA-detectable Type Ia Supernova Progenitor in the Southern Sky: SMSS J1138−5139 |
| title_sort | new lisa detectable type ia supernova progenitor in the southern sky smss j1138 5139 |
| topic | Eclipsing binary stars Gravitational wave sources Interacting binary stars White dwarf stars Subdwarf stars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/add1cf |
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