Low Mach Number Modeling of Convection in Helium Shells on Sub-Chandrasekhar White Dwarfs. I. Methodology

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the robustness of a low Mach number hydrodynamics code, MAESTRO, for simulating helium shell convection on white dwarfs, crucial for understanding Type Ia supernovae ignition.

Contribution

It demonstrates the effectiveness of the low Mach number hydrodynamics approach in modeling convection leading to supernova ignition in white dwarf stars.

Findings

The low Mach number model provides a robust description of helium shell convection.

Simulations successfully capture the convection process up to ignition point.

The methodology supports future detailed supernova modeling.

Abstract

We assess the robustness of a low Mach number hydrodynamics algorithm for modeling helium shell convection on the surface of a white dwarf in the context of the sub-Chandrasekhar model for Type Ia supernovae. We use the low Mach number stellar hydrodynamics code, MAESTRO, to perform three-dimensional, spatially-adaptive simulations of convection leading up to the point of the ignition of a burning front. We show that the low Mach number hydrodynamics model provides a robust description of the system.