EVALUATING SYSTEMATIC DEPENDENCIES OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE: THE INFLUENCE OF PROGENITOR²²Ne CONTENT ON DYNAMICS

Abstract

We present a theoretical framework for formal study of systematic effects in\nSupernovae Type Ia (SN Ia) that utilizes 2-d simulations to implement a form of\nthe deflagration-detonation transition (DDT) explosion scenario. The framework\nis developed from a randomized initial condition that leads to a sample of\nsimulated SN Ia whose Ni56 masses have a similar average and range to those\nobserved, and have many other modestly realistic features such as the velocity\nextent of intermediate mass elements. The intended purpose is to enable\nstatistically well-defined studies of both physical and theoretical parameters\nof the SN Ia explosion simulation. We present here a thorough description of\nthe outcome of the SN Ia explosions produced by our current simulations. A\nfirst application of this framework is utilized to study the dependence of the\nSN Ia on the Ne22 content, which is known to be directly influenced by the\nprogenitor stellar population's metallicity. Our study is very specifically\ntailored to measure how the Ne22 content influences the competition between the\nrise of plumes of burned material and the expansion of the star before these\nplumes reach DDT conditions. This competition controls the amount of material\nin nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) and therefore Ni56 produced by setting\nthe density at which nucleosynthesis takes place during the detonation phase of\nthe explosion. Although the outcome following from any particular ignition\ncondition can change dramatically with Ne22 content, with a sample of 20\nignition conditions we find that the systematic change in the expansion of the\nstar prior to detonation is not large enough to compete with the dependence on\ninitial neutron excess discussed by Timmes, Brown & Truran (2003). (Abridged)\n