PHYSICS SEMINAR
Progenitors of Type Ia Supernova
Lorne Nelson
Bishop's University
Friday, November 25, 2011
1:30 p.m.
Nicolls 315
Observational interpretation of cosmological Type Ia supernovae are essential to our understanding that the Universe is accelerating and that this acceleration is governed by an unknown form of energy. In this talk, I will review our current understanding of how Type Ia supernovae are triggered and discuss the uncertainties in their creation and the inherent complications (e.g., the Phillips relation). In particular, I will discuss the SD (single white dwarf) and the DD (double white dwarf) channels outlining their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, I will describe a new channel that involves double-core common envelope evolution.
