Submitted on October 21, 2005
Accepted on November 15, 2006
Spectropolarimetric Diagnostics of Thermonuclear Supernova Explosions
Lifan Wang 1*,
Dietrich Baade 2,
Ferdinando Patat 2
1 Physics Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-4242 USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
2 European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Lifan Wang , E-mail: wang{at}physics.tamu.edu
Even at extragalactic distances, the shape of supernova ejecta can be effectively diagnosed by spectropolarimetry. We present here results for 17 Type Ia supernovae that allow a statistical study of the correlation among the geometric structures and other observable parameters of Type Ia supernovae. These observations suggest that their ejecta typically consist of a smooth, central iron rich core and an outer layer with chemical asymmetries. The degree of this peripheral asphericity is correlated with the light-curve decline rate of Type Ia supernovae. These observations lend strong support to delayed-detonation models of Type Ia supernovae.
