Super-Chandrasekhar-Mass Light Curve Models for the Highly Luminous Type Ia Supernova 2009dc

TL;DR

This study models super-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf explosions to explain the extreme luminosity of SN 2009dc, suggesting progenitor masses of 2.2-2.8 solar masses and implications for supernova progenitor theories.

Contribution

It introduces hydrodynamical models of super-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs to explain highly luminous Type Ia supernovae, providing estimates of progenitor masses and compositions.

Findings

Progenitor WD mass estimated at 2.2-2.4 solar masses without significant extinction.

Progenitor WD mass estimated at ~2.8 solar masses with significant extinction.

Progenitor WD must have a thick carbon-oxygen outer layer.

Abstract

Several highly luminous Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have been discovered. Their high luminosities are difficult to explain with the thermonuclear explosions of the Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs (WDs). In the present study, we estimate the progenitor mass of SN 2009dc, one of the extremely luminous SNe Ia, using the hydrodynamical models as follows. Explosion models of super-Chandrasekhar-mass (super-Ch-mass) WDs are constructed, and multi-color light curves (LCs) are calculated. The comparison between our calculations and the observations of SN 2009dc suggests that the exploding WD has a super-Ch mass of 2.2-2.4 solar masses, producing 1.2-1.4 solar masses of Ni-56, if the extinction by its host galaxy is negligible. If the extinction is significant, the exploding WD is as massive as \sim2.8 solar masses, and \sim1.8 solar masses of Ni-56 is necessary to account for the observations. Whether the host-galaxy extinction is significant or not, the progenitor WD must have a thick carbon-oxygen layer in the outermost zone (20-30% of the WD mass), which explains the observed low expansion velocity of the ejecta and the presence of carbon. Our estimate on the mass of the progenitor WD, especially for the extinction-corrected case, is challenging to the current scenarios of SNe Ia. Implications on the progenitor scenarios are also discussed.