Originally posted by marcus
What figure is used for the "peak absolute magnitude" of a Type Ia supernova?
Briefly sketch the process leading up to a supernova of that type.
Why do they all have about the same luminosity----allowing them to be used as a standard candle for estimating distance?
Peak absolute magnitude for a type Ia supernava is at the top (brightest) point on the light curve after the explosion. By number, it is defined as M
Ia= -19.5 (+/-)0.2 Mag.
A Type Ia supernova is from a binary star system consisting of a white dwarf with a red giant companion, where the white dwarf accretes enough material to place it above the "Chandra's Limit". When this happens, the total mass of the white dwarf collapses and all material explodes in a huge nuclear fusion process and the Type Ia supernava occurs, leaving no "stellar remnant" behind. IOW, there is no Neutron Star or Black Hole remnant. About 99% of the energy is emitted as neutrinos, but that still leaves enough for the huge amount of visable light that can be detected; brighter than any other class of supernova.
The luminosity of Type Ia Supernovae is always nearly equivalent because the process of the explosion, and the chemical composition of the White Dwarf, must always meet nearly identical conditions.
Most texts will say that the limit is the famous 1.44 Solar Masses (S
m), but in fact, the limit reached by the White Dwarf is somewhat less at 1.38 S
m. This is because the process (explosion) is the result of
"Carbon deflagration" which must propogate throughout the star at a speed near, but not above, the speed of
sound in that medium. Not all accreting white dwarfs, in fact very few, meet these conditions of size and composition, so Type Ia Supernovae are very rare, but very much a consistant "standard candle"