Diffuse Galactic antimatter from faint thermonuclear supernovae in old stellar populations

TL;DR

This paper proposes that faint thermonuclear supernovae from old stellar populations, specifically SN1991bg-like events, are the main source of galactic positrons, explaining observed signals and isotope abundances.

Contribution

It identifies a specific type of transient, SN1991bg-like supernovae, as the primary source of galactic positrons and isotope production, resolving long-standing source ambiguity.

Findings

SN1991bg-like supernovae produce enough $^{44}$Ti to account for positron signals.

The spatial distribution of these supernovae matches the positron annihilation morphology.

The $^{44}$Ti yield explains the solar system abundance of $^{44}$Ca.

Abstract

Our Galaxy hosts the annihilation of a few $\times 10^{43}$ low-energy positrons every second. Radioactive isotopes capable of supplying such positrons are synthesised in stars, stellar remnants, and supernovae. For decades, however, there has been no positive identification of a main stellar positron source leading to suggestions that many positrons originate from exotic sources like the Galaxy's central super-massive black hole or dark matter annihilation. %, but such sources would not explain the recently-detected positron signal from the extended Galactic disk. Here we show that a single type of transient source, deriving from stellar populations of age 3-6 Gyr and yielding ~0.03 $M_\odot$ of the positron emitter $^{44}$Ti, can simultaneously explain the strength and morphology of the Galactic positron annihilation signal and the solar system abundance of the $^{44}$Ti decay product $^{44}$Ca. This transient is likely the merger of two low-mass white dwarfs, observed in external galaxies as the sub-luminous, thermonuclear supernova known as SN1991bg-like.