Abstract
We present stellar evolution calculations of the remnant of the merger of two carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs). We focus on cases that have a total mass in excess of the Chandrasekhar mass. After the merger, the remnant manifests as an L ~ 3 × 104 L⊙ source for ~104 yr. A dusty wind may develop, leading these sources to be self-obscured and to appear similar to extreme asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Roughly ~10 such objects should exist in the Milky Way and M31 at any time. As found in previous work, off-centre carbon fusion is ignited within the merger remnant and propagates inwards via a carbon flame, converting theWD to an oxygen-neon (ONe) composition. By following the evolution for longer than previous calculations, we demonstrate that after carbon-burning reaches the centre, neutrinocooledKelvin- Helmholtz contraction leads to off-centre neon ignition in remnantswith masses ≥ 1.35M⊙. The resulting neon-oxygen flame converts the core to a silicon WD. Thus, super- Chandrasekhar WD merger remnants do not undergo electron-capture induced collapse as traditionally assumed. Instead, if the remnant mass remains above the Chandrasekhar mass, we expect that it will form a low-mass iron core and collapse to form a neutron star. Remnants that lose sufficient mass will end up as massive, isolated ONe or Si WDs.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3461-3475 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Volume | 463 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 21 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
Keywords
- Supernovae: general
- White dwarfs