Simulations uncover why some supernova explosions produce so much manganese and nickel

Researchers have found white dwarf stars with masses close to the maximum stable mass (called the Chandrasekhar mass) are likely to produce large amounts of manganese, iron, and nickel after they orbit another star and explode as Type Ia supernovae.

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Credit: Kavli IPMU

Figure 1: An artist's conception of a single-degenerate Type Ia supernova scenario. Due to the stronger gravitational force from the white dwarf on the left, the outer material of the bigger, slightly evolving main-sequence star on the right is torn away and it flows onto the white dwarf, eventually increasing the mass of the white dwarf toward the Chandrasekhar mass. This carbon-oxygen white dwarf will later explode as a Type Ia supernova.

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Credit: Leung et al

Figure 2: The colour plot of the temperature distribution of the benchmark Type Ia supernova model at about 1 second after explosion. The deflagration model with deflagration-detonation transition is used to produce this result.

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When a massive star explodes, it creates a shell of hot gas that glows brightly in X-rays. These X-rays reveal the dynamics of the explosion.