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Chapter 20: Problem 26

What causes a thermonuclear supernova? How does a thermonuclear supernova compare with a core-collapse supernova?

Short Answer

Expert verified
A thermonuclear supernova occurs in a binary system when a white dwarf accumulates so much matter from its companion star that it explodes. A core-collapse supernova happens when a massive star exhausts its fusionable material, leading to a gravitational collapse. While both result in a massive explosion, thermonuclear supernovae leave no remnants while core-collapse supernovae leave behind either a neutron star or a black hole.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Supernova

A supernova is the explosion of a star, which is the largest explosion that takes place in space. There are mainly two types of supernovae: thermonuclear and core-collapse.
02

Cause of a Thermonuclear Supernova

A thermonuclear supernova, also known as a Type Ia supernova, occurs in a binary star system. One of the stars is a white dwarf. The white dwarf steals matter from its companion star. Eventually, the white dwarf accumulates so much matter that it causes the star to explode, resulting in a supernova.
03

Cause of a Core-Collapse Supernova

A core-collapse supernova, or Type II supernova, is the result of the gravitational collapse of a massive star. Nuclear reactions in the star's core create elements up to iron. Iron cannot be used for nuclear energy, and when the fusionable material in the core is exhausted, the pressure from gravity causes the core to collapse, leading to a supernova.
04

Comparing Thermonuclear and Core-Collapse Supernova

In both types of supernovae, the end result is a catastrophic explosion. However, the causes differ. Thermonuclear supernovae are caused by the buildup of matter in a white dwarf within a binary star system. On the other hand, core-collapse supernovae are caused by gravity crushing the star when its core is depleted of fusionable material. Furthermore, thermonuclear supernovae leave no remnant behind, while core-collapse supernovae result in either a neutron star or a black hole.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What is the horizontal branch? Where is it located on an H-R diagram? How do stars on the horizontal branch differ from red giants or main-sequence stars?

How do supernova remnants produce radiation at nonvisible wavelengths?

Imagine that our Sun was somehow replaced by a \(1-\mathrm{M}_{\odot}\) white dwarf star, and that our Earth continued in an orbit of semimajor axis \(1 \mathrm{AU}\) around this star. Discuss what effects this would have on our planet. What would the white dwarf look like as seen from Earth? Could you look at it safely with the unaided eye? Would the Earth's surface temperature remain the same as it is now?

Why do we not observe planetary nebulae that are more than about 50,000 years old?

Consider a high-mass star just prior to a supernova explosion, with a core of diameter \(20 \mathrm{~km}\) and density \(4 \times 10^{17}\) \(\mathrm{kg} / \mathrm{m}^{3}\). (a) Calculate the mass of the core. Give your answer in kilograms and in solar masses. (b) Calculate the force of gravity on a 1-kg object at the surface of the core. How many times larger is this than the gravitational force on such an object at the surface of the Earth, which is about 10 newtons? (c) Calculate the escape speed from the surface of the star's core. Give your answer in \(\mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) and as a fraction of the speed of light. What does this tell you about how powerful a supernova explosion must be in order to blow material away from the star's core?
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