3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf
A proposed setting for thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae is a white dwarf that has gained mass from a companion to the point of carbon ignition in the core. In the early stages of carbon burning, called the simmering phase, energy released by the reactions in the core drive the formation and growth...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9bb0 |
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| author | Brendan Boyd Alan Calder Dean Townsley Michael Zingale |
| author_facet | Brendan Boyd Alan Calder Dean Townsley Michael Zingale |
| author_sort | Brendan Boyd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A proposed setting for thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae is a white dwarf that has gained mass from a companion to the point of carbon ignition in the core. In the early stages of carbon burning, called the simmering phase, energy released by the reactions in the core drive the formation and growth of a core convection zone. One aspect of this phase is the convective Urca process, a linking of weak nuclear reactions to convection, which may alter the composition and structure of the white dwarf. The convective Urca process is not well understood and requires 3D fluid simulations to properly model the turbulent convection, an inherently 3D process. Because the neutron excess of the fluid both sets and is set by the extent of the convection zone, the realistic steady state can only be determined in simulations with real 3D mixing processes. Additionally, the convection is relatively slow (Mach number less than 0.005) and thus a low Mach number method is needed to model the flow over many convective turnovers. Using the MAESTROeX low Mach number hydrodynamic software, we present the first full-star 3D simulations of the A = 23 convective Urca process, spanning hundreds of convective turnover times. Our findings on the extent of mixing across the Urca shell, the characteristic velocities of the flow, the energy-loss rates due to neutrino emission, and the structure of the convective boundary can be used to inform 1D stellar models that track the longer-timescale evolution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5bc9be92857048009c693454fcd025ec |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| spelling | doaj-art-5bc9be92857048009c693454fcd025ec2025-01-28T11:32:33ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01979221610.3847/1538-4357/ad9bb03D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White DwarfBrendan Boyd0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5419-9751Alan Calder1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5525-089XDean Townsley2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9538-5948Michael Zingale3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8401-030XDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA ; boyd.brendan@stonybrook.edu; Institute for Advanced Computational Science, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, NY 11794-5250, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA ; boyd.brendan@stonybrook.edu; Institute for Advanced Computational Science, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, NY 11794-5250, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0324, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA ; boyd.brendan@stonybrook.eduA proposed setting for thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae is a white dwarf that has gained mass from a companion to the point of carbon ignition in the core. In the early stages of carbon burning, called the simmering phase, energy released by the reactions in the core drive the formation and growth of a core convection zone. One aspect of this phase is the convective Urca process, a linking of weak nuclear reactions to convection, which may alter the composition and structure of the white dwarf. The convective Urca process is not well understood and requires 3D fluid simulations to properly model the turbulent convection, an inherently 3D process. Because the neutron excess of the fluid both sets and is set by the extent of the convection zone, the realistic steady state can only be determined in simulations with real 3D mixing processes. Additionally, the convection is relatively slow (Mach number less than 0.005) and thus a low Mach number method is needed to model the flow over many convective turnovers. Using the MAESTROeX low Mach number hydrodynamic software, we present the first full-star 3D simulations of the A = 23 convective Urca process, spanning hundreds of convective turnover times. Our findings on the extent of mixing across the Urca shell, the characteristic velocities of the flow, the energy-loss rates due to neutrino emission, and the structure of the convective boundary can be used to inform 1D stellar models that track the longer-timescale evolution.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9bb0Type Ia supernovaeHydrodynamical simulationsAstronomical simulationsWhite dwarf starsNucleosynthesis |
| spellingShingle | Brendan Boyd Alan Calder Dean Townsley Michael Zingale 3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf The Astrophysical Journal Type Ia supernovae Hydrodynamical simulations Astronomical simulations White dwarf stars Nucleosynthesis |
| title | 3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf |
| title_full | 3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf |
| title_fullStr | 3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf |
| title_full_unstemmed | 3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf |
| title_short | 3D Convective Urca Process in a Simmering White Dwarf |
| title_sort | 3d convective urca process in a simmering white dwarf |
| topic | Type Ia supernovae Hydrodynamical simulations Astronomical simulations White dwarf stars Nucleosynthesis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9bb0 |
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