Engineering topics

Katz, Boaz

Publications and source records attributed to Katz, Boaz.

13 records

DOE OSTI2022

StaNdaRT: a repository of standardised test models and outputs for supernova radiative transfer

We present the first results of a comprehensive supernova (SN) radiative-transfer (RT) code-comparison initiative (StaNdaRT), where the emission from the same set of standardised test models is simulated by currently used RT codes. We ran a total of ten codes on a set of four benchmark ejecta models of Type Ia SNe. We consider two sub-Chandrasekhar-mass (M tot = 1.0 M ⊙ ) toy models with analytic density and composition profiles and two Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation models that are outcomes of hydrodynamical simulations. We adopt spherical symmetry for all four models. The results of the different codes, including the light curves, spectra, and the evolution of several physical properties as a function of radius and time are provided in electronic form in a standard format via a public repository. We also include the detailed test model profiles and several Python scripts for accessing and presenting the input and output files. We also provide the code used to generate the toy models studied here. In this paper, we describe the test models, radiative-transfer codes, and output formats in detail, and provide access to the repository. We present example results of several key diagnostic features.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

THE IMPORTANCE OF {sup 56}Ni IN SHAPING THE LIGHT CURVES OF TYPE II SUPERNOVAE

What intrinsic properties shape the light curves of SNe II? To address this question we derive observational measures that are robust (i.e., insensitive to detailed radiative transfer) and constrain the contribution from {sup 56}Ni as well as a combination of the envelope mass, progenitor radius, and explosion energy. By applying our methods to a sample of SNe II from the literature, we find that a {sup 56}Ni contribution is often significant. In our sample, its contribution to the time-weighted integrated luminosity during the photospheric phase ranges between 8% and 72% with a typical value of 30%. We find that the {sup 56}Ni relative contribution is anti-correlated with the luminosity decline rate. When added to other clues, this in turn suggests that the flat plateaus often observed in SNe II are not a generic feature of the cooling envelope emission, and that without {sup 56}Ni many of the SNe that are classified as II-P would have shown a decline rate that is steeper by up to 1 mag/100 days. Nevertheless, we find that the cooling envelope emission, and not {sup 56}Ni contribution, is the main driver behind the observed range of decline rates. Furthermore, contrary to previous suggestions, our findings indicate that fast decline rates are not driven by lower envelope masses. We therefore suggest that the difference in observed decline rates is mainly a result of different density profiles of the progenitors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

RAPIDLY RISING TRANSIENTS IN THE SUPERNOVA—SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVA GAP

We present observations of four rapidly rising (t{sub rise} ≈ 10 days) transients with peak luminosities between those of supernovae (SNe) and superluminous SNe (M{sub peak} ≈ −20)—one discovered and followed by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) and three by the Supernova Legacy Survey. The light curves resemble those of SN 2011kl, recently shown to be associated with an ultra-long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), though no GRB was seen to accompany our SNe. The rapid rise to a luminous peak places these events in a unique part of SN phase space, challenging standard SN emission mechanisms. Spectra of the PTF event formally classify it as an SN II due to broad Hα emission, but an unusual absorption feature, which can be interpreted as either high velocity Hα (though deeper than in previously known cases) or Si ii (as seen in SNe Ia), is also observed. We find that existing models of white dwarf detonations, CSM interaction, shock breakout in a wind (or steeper CSM), and magnetar spin down cannot readily explain the observations. We consider the possibility that a “Type 1.5 SN” scenario could be the origin of our events. More detailed models for these kinds of transients and more constraining observations of future such events should help to better determine their nature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

FAILURE OF A NEUTRINO-DRIVEN EXPLOSION AFTER CORE-COLLAPSE MAY LEAD TO A THERMONUCLEAR SUPERNOVA

We demonstrate that ∼10 s after the core-collapse of a massive star, a thermonuclear explosion of the outer shells is possible for some (tuned) initial density and composition profiles, assuming that the neutrinos failed to explode the star. The explosion may lead to a successful supernova, as first suggested by Burbidge et al. We perform a series of one-dimensional (1D) calculations of collapsing massive stars with simplified initial density profiles (similar to the results of stellar evolution calculations) and various compositions (not similar to 1D stellar evolution calculations). We assume that the neutrinos escaped with a negligible effect on the outer layers, which inevitably collapse. As the shells collapse, they compress and heat up adiabatically, enhancing the rate of thermonuclear burning. In some cases, where significant shells of mixed helium and oxygen are present with pre-collapsed burning times of ≲100 s (≈10 times the free-fall time), a thermonuclear detonation wave is ignited, which unbinds the outer layers of the star, leading to a supernova. The energy released is small, ≲10{sup 50} erg, and negligible amounts of synthesized material (including {sup 56}Ni) are ejected, implying that these 1D simulations are unlikely to represent typical core-collapse supernovae. However, they do serve as a proof of concept that the core-collapse-induced thermonuclear explosions are possible, and more realistic two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations are within current computational capabilities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

OGLE-LMC-ECL-11893: The discovery of a long-period eclipsing binary with a circumstellar disk

We report the serendipitous discovery of a disk-eclipse system OGLE-LMC-ECL-11893. The eclipse occurs with a period of 468 days, a duration of about 15 days, and a deep (up to Δm{sub I} ≈ 1.5), peculiar, and asymmetric profile. A possible origin of such an eclipse profile involves a circumstellar disk. The presence of the disk is confirmed by the H-α line profile from the follow-up spectroscopic observations, and the star is identified as Be/Ae type. Unlike the previously known disk-eclipse candidates, the eclipses of OGLE-LMC-ECL-11893 retain the same shape throughout the span of ∼17 yr (13 orbital periods), indicating no measurable orbital precession of the disk.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Early hydrodynamic evolution of a stellar collision

The early phase of the hydrodynamic evolution following the collision of two stars is analyzed. Two strong shocks propagate from the contact surface and move toward the center of each star at a velocity that is a small fraction of the velocity of the approaching stars. The shocked region near the contact surface has a planar symmetry and a uniform pressure. The density vanishes at the (Lagrangian) surface of contact, and the speed of sound diverges there. The temperature, however, reaches a finite value, since as the density vanishes, the finite pressure is radiation dominated. For carbon-oxygen white dwarf (CO WD) collisions, this temperature is too low for any appreciable nuclear burning shortly after the collision, which allows for a significant fraction of the mass to be highly compressed to the density required for efficient {sup 56}Ni production in the detonation wave that follows. This property is crucial for the viability of collisions of typical CO WD as progenitors of type Ia supernovae, since otherwise only massive (>0.9 M {sub ☉}) CO WDs would have led to such explosions (as required by all other progenitor models). The divergence of the speed of sound limits numerical studies of stellar collisions, as it makes convergence tests exceedingly expensive unless dedicated schemes are used. We provide a new one-dimensional Lagrangian numerical scheme to achieve this. A self-similar planar solution is derived for zero-impact parameter collisions between two identical stars, under some simplifying assumptions (including a power-law density profile), which is the planar version of previous piston problems that were studied in cylindrical and spherical symmetries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

WARM JUPITERS NEED CLOSE ''FRIENDS'' FOR HIGH-ECCENTRICITY MIGRATION—A STRINGENT UPPER LIMIT ON THE PERTURBER'S SEPARATION

We propose a stringent observational test on the formation of warm Jupiters (gas-giant planets with 10 days ≲ P ≲ 100 days) by high-eccentricity (high-e) migration mechanisms. Unlike hot Jupiters, the majority of observed warm Jupiters have pericenter distances too large to allow efficient tidal dissipation to induce migration. To access the close pericenter required for migration during a Kozai-Lidov cycle, they must be accompanied by a strong enough perturber to overcome the precession caused by general relativity, placing a strong upper limit on the perturber's separation. For a warm Jupiter at a ∼ 0.2 AU, a Jupiter-mass (solar-mass) perturber is required to be ≲ 3 AU (≲ 30 AU) and can be identified observationally. Among warm Jupiters detected by radial velocities (RVs), ≳ 50% (5 out of 9) with large eccentricities (e ≳ 0.4) have known Jovian companions satisfying this necessary condition for high-e migration. In contrast, ≲ 20% (3 out of 17) of the low-e (e ≲ 0.2) warm Jupiters have detected additional Jovian companions, suggesting that high-e migration with planetary perturbers may not be the dominant formation channel. Complete, long-term RV follow-ups of the warm-Jupiter population will allow a firm upper limit to be put on the fraction of these planets formed by high-e migration. Transiting warm Jupiters showing spin-orbit misalignments will be interesting to apply our test. If the misalignments are solely due to high-e migration as commonly suggested, we expect that the majority of warm Jupiters with low-e (e ≲ 0.2) are not misaligned, in contrast with low-e hot Jupiters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

HEAD-ON COLLISIONS OF WHITE DWARFS IN TRIPLE SYSTEMS COULD EXPLAIN TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO-WDs), are currently the best cosmological ''standard candles'', but the triggering mechanism of the explosion is unknown. It was recently shown that the rate of head-on collisions of typical field CO-WDs in triple systems may be comparable to the SNe Ia rate. Here we provide evidence supporting a scenario in which the majority of SNe Ia are the result of such head-on collisions of CO-WDs. In this case, the nuclear detonation is due to a well understood shock ignition, devoid of commonly introduced free parameters such as the deflagration velocity or transition to detonation criteria. By using two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations with a fully resolved ignition process, we show that zero-impact-parameter collisions of typical CO-WDs with masses 0.5-1 M {sub ☉} result in explosions that synthesize {sup 56}Ni masses in the range of ∼0.1-1 M {sub ☉}, spanning the wide distribution of yields observed for the majority of SNe Ia. All collision models yield the same late-time (≳ 60 days since explosion) bolometric light curve when normalized by {sup 56}Ni masses (to better than 30%), in agreement with observations. The calculated widths of the {sup 56}Ni-mass-weighted line-of-sight velocity distributions are correlated with the calculated {sup 56}Ni yield, agreeing with the observed correlation. The strong correlation, shown here for the first time, between {sup 56}Ni yield and total mass of the colliding CO-WDs (insensitive to their mass ratio), is suggestive as the source for the continuous distribution of observed SN Ia features, possibly including the Philips relation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

NON-RELATIVISTIC RADIATION MEDIATED SHOCK BREAKOUTS. III. SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF SUPERNOVA SHOCK BREAKOUT

The spectrum of radiation emitted following shock breakout from a star's surface with a power-law density profile {rho}{proportional_to}x{sup n} is investigated. Assuming planar geometry, local Compton equilibrium, and bremsstrahlung emission as the dominant photon production mechanism, numerical solutions are obtained for the photon number density and temperature profiles as a function of time for hydrogen-helium envelopes. The temperature solutions are determined by the breakout shock velocity v{sub 0} and the pre-shock breakout density {rho}{sub 0} and depend weakly on the value of n. Fitting formulae for the peak surface temperature at breakout as a function of v{sub 0} and {rho}{sub 0} are provided, with T{sub peak} approx. 9.44 exp [12.63(v{sub 0}/c){sup 1/2}] eV, and the time dependence of the surface temperature is tabulated. The time integrated emitted spectrum is a robust prediction of the model, determined by T{sub peak} and v{sub 0} alone and insensitive to details of light travel time or slight deviations from spherical symmetry. Adopting commonly assumed progenitor parameters, breakout luminosities of Almost-Equal-To 10{sup 45} erg s{sup -1} and Almost-Equal-To 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1} in the 0.3-10 keV band are expected for blue supergiant (BSG) and red supergiant (RSG)/He-WR progenitors, respectively (T{sub peak} is well below the band for RSGs, unless their radius is {approx}10{sup 13} cm). >30 detections of SN 1987A-like (BSG) breakouts are expected over the lifetime of ROSAT and XMM-Newton. An absence of such detections would imply either that the typical parameters assumed for BSG progenitors are grossly incorrect or that their envelopes are not hydrostatic. The observed spectrum and duration of XRF 080109/SN 2008D are in tension with a non-relativistic breakout from a stellar surface interpretation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

EXPLORING A 'FLOW' OF HIGHLY ECCENTRIC BINARIES WITH KEPLER

With 16-month of Kepler data, 15 long-period (40-265 days) eclipsing binaries on highly eccentric orbits (minimum e between 0.5 and 0.85) are identified from their closely separated primary and secondary eclipses ({Delta}t{sub I,II} = 3-10 days). These systems confirm the existence of a previously hinted binary population situated near a constant angular momentum track at P(1 - e {sup 2}){sup 3/2} {approx} 15 days, close to the tidal circularization period P{sub circ}. They may be presently migrating due to tidal dissipation and form a steady-state 'flow' ({approx}1% of stars) feeding the close-binary population (few % of stars). If so, future Kepler data releases will reveal a growing number (dozens) of systems at longer periods, following dN/dlgP {proportional_to} P {sup 1/3} with increasing eccentricities reaching e {yields} 0.98 for P {yields} 1000 days. Radial-velocity follow-up of long-period eclipsing binaries with no secondary eclipses could offer a significantly larger sample. Orders of magnitude more (hundreds) may reveal their presence from periodic 'eccentricity pulses', such as tidal ellipsoidal variations near pericenter passages. Several new few-day-long eccentricity-pulse candidates with long periods (P = 25-80 days) are reported.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

DIRECTLY IMAGING TIDALLY POWERED MIGRATING JUPITERS

Upcoming direct-imaging experiments may detect a new class of long-period, highly luminous, tidally powered extrasolar gas giants. Even though they are hosted by {approx} Gyr-'old' main-sequence stars, they can be as 'hot' as young Jupiters at {approx}100 Myr, the prime targets of direct-imaging surveys. They are on years-long orbits and presently migrating to 'feed' the 'hot Jupiters'. They are expected from 'high-e' migration mechanisms, in which Jupiters are excited to highly eccentric orbits and then shrink semimajor axis by a factor of {approx}10-100 due to tidal dissipation at close periastron passages. The dissipated orbital energy is converted to heat, and if it is deposited deep enough into the atmosphere, the planet likely radiates steadily at luminosity L {approx} 100-1000 L{sub Jup}(2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7}-2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -6} L{sub Sun }) during a typical {approx} Gyr migration timescale. Their large orbital separations and expected high planet-to-star flux ratios in IR make them potentially accessible to high-contrast imaging instruments on 10 m class telescopes. {approx}10 such planets are expected to exist around FGK dwarfs within {approx}50 pc. Long-period radial velocity planets are viable candidates, and the highly eccentric planet HD 20782b at maximum angular separation {approx}0.''08 is a promising candidate. Directly imaging these tidally powered Jupiters would enable a direct test of high-e migration mechanisms. Once detected, the luminosity would provide a direct measurement of the migration rate, and together with mass (and possibly radius) estimate, they would serve as a laboratory to study planetary spectral formation and tidal physics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

SUPER-ECCENTRIC MIGRATING JUPITERS

An important class of formation theories for hot Jupiters involves the excitation of extreme orbital eccentricity (e = 0.99 or even larger) followed by tidal dissipation at periastron passage that eventually circularizes the planetary orbit at a period less than 10 days. In a steady state, this mechanism requires the existence of a significant population of super-eccentric (e > 0.9) migrating Jupiters with long orbital periods and periastron distances of only a few stellar radii. For these super-eccentric planets, the periastron is fixed due to conservation of orbital angular momentum and the energy dissipated per orbit is constant, implying that the rate of change in semi-major axis a is a-dot {proportional_to}a{sup 1/2} and consequently the number distribution satisfies dN/d log a{proportional_to}a{sup 1/2}. If this formation process produces most hot Jupiters, Kepler should detect several super-eccentric migrating progenitors of hot Jupiters, allowing for a test of high-eccentricity migration scenarios.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

NON-RELATIVISTIC RADIATION MEDIATED SHOCK BREAKOUTS. II. BOLOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF SUPERNOVA SHOCK BREAKOUT

Exact bolometric light curves of supernova shock breakouts are derived based on the universal, non-relativistic, planar breakout solutions, assuming spherical symmetry, constant Thomson scattering opacity, {kappa}, and angular intensity corresponding to the steady-state planar limit. These approximations are accurate for progenitors with a scale height much smaller than the radius. The light curves are insensitive to the density profile and are determined by the progenitor radius R, and the breakout velocity and density, v{sub 0} and {rho}{sub 0}, respectively, and {kappa}. The total breakout energy, E{sub BO}, and the maximal ejecta velocity, v{sub max}, are shown to be E{sub BO} = 8.0{pi}R{sup 2}{kappa}{sup -1} cv{sub 0} and v{sub max} = 2.0v{sub 0}, respectively, to an accuracy of about 10%. The calculated light curves are valid up to the time of transition to spherical expansion, t{sub sph} Almost-Equal-To R/4v{sub 0}. Approximate analytic expressions for the light curves are provided for breakouts in which the shock crossing time at breakout, t{sub 0} = c/{kappa}{rho}{sub 0} v{sup 2}{sub 0}, is <<R/c (valid for R < 10{sup 14} cm). Modifications of the flux angular intensity distribution and differences in shock arrival times to the surface, {Delta}t{sub asym}, due to moderately asymmetric explosions, affect the early light curve but do not affect v{sub max} and E{sub BO}. For 4v{sub 0} << c, valid for large (red supergiant) progenitors, L{proportional_to}t{sup -4/3} at max ({Delta}t{sub asym}, R/c) < t < t{sub sph} and R may be accurately estimated from R Almost-Equal-To 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 13}(L/10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1}){sup 2/5}(t/1 hr){sup 8/15}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗