James W. Truran

FLASH: An Adaptive Mesh Hydrodynamics Code for Modeling Astrophysical Thermonuclear Flashes

We report on the completion of the first version of a new-generation simulation code, FLASH. The FLASH code solves the fully compressible, reactive hydrodynamic equations and allows for the use of adaptive mesh refinement. It also contains state-of-the-art modules for the equations of state and thermonuclear reaction networks. The FLASH code was developed to study the problems of nuclear flashes on the surfaces of neutron stars and white dwarfs, as well as in the interior of white dwarfs. We expect, however, that the FLASH code will be useful for solving a wide variety of other problems. This first version of the code has been subjected to a large variety of test cases and is currently being used for production simulations of X-ray bursts, Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities, and thermonuclear flame fronts. The FLASH code is portable and already runs on a wide variety of massively parallel machines, including some of the largest machines now extant.

The Extremely Metal-poor, Neutron Capture-rich Star CS 22892-052: A Comprehensive Abundance Analysis*

High-resolution spectra obtained with three ground-based facilities and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have been combined to produce a new abundance analysis of CS 22892-052, an extremely metal-poor giant with large relative enhancements of neutron capture elements. A revised model stellar atmosphere has been derived with the aid of a large number of Fe peak transitions, including both neutral and ionized species of six elements. Several elements, including Mo, Lu, Au, Pt, and Pb, have been detected for the first time in CS 22892-052, and significant upper limits have been placed on the abundances of Ga, Ge, Cd, Sn, and U in this star. In total, abundance measurements or upper limits have been determined for 57 elements, far more than previously possible. New Be and Li detections in CS 22892-052 indicate that the abundances of both these elements are significantly depleted compared to unevolved main-sequence turnoff stars of similar metallicity. Abundance comparisons show an excellent agreement between the heaviest n-capture elements (Z ≥ 56) and scaled solar system r-process abundances, confirming earlier results for CS 22892-052 and other metal-poor stars. New theoretical r-process calculations also show good agreement with CS 22892-052 abundances and the solar r-process abundance components. The abundances of lighter elements (40 ≤ Z ≤ 50), however, deviate from the same scaled abundance curves that match the heavier elements, suggesting different synthesis conditions or sites for the low-mass and high-mass ends of the abundance distribution. The detection of Th and the upper limit on the U abundance together imply a lower limit of 10.4 Gyr on the age of CS 22892-052, quite consistent with the Th/Eu age estimate of 12.8± 3 Gyr. An average of several chronometric ratios yields an age 14.2± 3 Gyr.

The R-process and nucleochronology

Abstract The r-process of nucleosynthesis is the process which is responsible for the synthesis of approximately half of the nuclear species in nature that are more massive than iron. This process of heavy-element synthesis involves the progressive buildup of heavier isotopes via neut ron captures proceeding on neutron-rich isotopes, interspersed by beta decays. Its abudance features clearly reflect nuclear propeties — the maxima are related to the magic neutron numbers N = 50, 82 and 126. It probes our knowledge of the properties of nuclei far from the region of beta stability, even through the position of the neutron drip line. The r-process also forms the important long-lived nuclear chronometers 232Th, 238U and 235U that are utilized for dating the Galaxy. While the astrophysical site foprocess nucleosynthesis is not yet identified, its association with massive stars undergoing type II supernova events is strongly suggested. This can be deduced from the observation that r-process nuclei are already present in the oldest and most metal-deficient stars, which are the tracers of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The massive stars that become type II supernovae evolve fastest and contribute their ejecta to the interstellar medium at the earliest beginnings of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. When utilizing the knowledge of the r-process production ratios of the long-lived chronometer nuclei, their observed ratios in primitive meteorites and our (limited) knowledge of star formation throughout galactic evolution, one can put limits on the duration of galactic nucleosynthesis, the age of the Galaxy and the universe. The latter has a large uncertainty but is comparable with ages estimated from globular clusters and cosmology. This paper will provide a review of the basic physics underlying the r-process, the operation of the mechanisms for r-process nucleosynthesis, the possible astrophysical sites, their time evolution in galactic evolution models, and the inferred ages of the Galaxy.

The Chemical Composition and Age of the Metal-poor Halo Star BD +17°3248*

We have combined new high-resolution spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST )a nd ground-based facilities to make a comprehensive new abundance analysis of the metal-poor, halo star BD +17 � 3248. We have detected the third r-process peak elements osmium, platinum, and (for the first time in a metal-poor star) gold, elements whose abundances can only be reliably determined using HST. Our observations illustrate a pattern seen in other similar halo stars with the abundances of the heavier neutron capture elements, including the third r-process peak elements, consistent with a scaled solar system r-process distribution. The abundances of the lighter neutron capture elements, including germanium and silver, fall below that same scaled solar r-process curve, a result similar to that seen in the ultra–metal-poor star CS 22892-052. A single site with two regimes or sets of conditions, or perhaps two different sites for the lighter and heavier neutron capture elements, might explain the abundance pattern seen in this star. In addition, we have derived a

On Variations in the Peak Luminosity of Type Ia Supernovae

We explore the idea that the observed variations in the peak luminosities of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) originate in part from a scatter in metallicity of the main-sequence stars that become white dwarfs. Previous numerical studies have not self-consistently explored metallicities greater than solar. One-dimensional Chandrasekhar mass models of SNe Ia produce most of their 56Ni in a burn to nuclear statistical equilibrium between the mass shells 0.2 and 0.8 M?, for which the electron-to-nucleon ratio Ye is constant during the burn. We show analytically that under these conditions, charge and mass conservation constrain the mass of 56Ni produced to depend linearly on the original metallicity of the white dwarf progenitor. Detailed postprocessing of W7-like models confirms this linear dependence. The effect that we have identified is most evident at metallicities larger than solar and is in agreement with previous self-consistent calculations over the metallicity range common to both calculations. The observed scatter in the metallicity (-3 Z?) of the solar neighborhood is enough to induce a 25% variation in the mass of 56Ni ejected by SNe Ia. This is sufficient to vary the peak V-band brightness by |?MV| ? 0.2. This scatter in metallicity is present out to the limiting redshifts of current observations (z 1). Sedimentation of 22Ne can possibly amplify the variation in 56Ni mass to 50%. Further numerical studies can determine if other metallicity-induced effects, such as a change in the mass of the 56Ni-producing region, offset or enhance the variation that we identify.

Hubble Space Telescope Observations of Element Abundances in Low-Redshift Damped Lyα Galaxies and Implications for the Global Metallicity-Redshift Relation

Most models of cosmic chemical evolution predict that the mass-weighted mean interstellar metallicity of galaxies should rise with time from a low value ~1/30 solar at z ~ 3 to a nearly solar value at z = 0. In the absence of any selection effects, the damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs) in quasar spectra are expected to show such a rise in global metallicity. However, it has been difficult to determine whether or not DLAs show this effect, primarily because of the very small number of DLA metallicity measurements at low redshifts. In an attempt to put tighter constraints on the low-redshift end of the DLA metallicity-redshift relation, we have observed Zn II and Cr II lines in four DLAs at 0.09 < z < 0.52, using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These observations have provided the first constraints on Zn abundances in DLAs with z < 0.4. In all three DLAs for which our observations offer meaningful constraints on the metallicity, the data suggest that the metallicities are much lower than the solar value. These results are consistent with recent imaging studies indicating that these DLAs may be associated with dwarf or low surface brightness galaxies. We combine our results with higher redshift data from the literature to estimate the global mean metallicity-redshift relation for DLAs. We find that the global mean metallicity shows at most a slow increase with decreasing redshift. For the redshift range 0.09 < z < 3.90, the slope of the exponential fit to the binned N-weighted mean Zn metallicity versus redshift relation is -0.18 ± 0.06 counting Zn limits as detections, -0.22 ± 0.08 counting Zn limits as zeros, and -0.23 ± 0.06 using constraints on metallicity from other elements instead of the Zn limits. The corresponding estimates of the z = 0 intercept of the metallicity-redshift relation are -0.74 ± 0.15, -0.75 ± 0.18, and -0.71 ± 0.13, respectively. Roughly similar results are obtained if survival analysis or an unbinned N-weighted nonlinear χ2 approach is used. Thus, the N-weighted mean metallicity of DLAs does not appear to rise up to solar or near-solar values at z = 0. This weak evolution could be explained by the fact that our absorption-selected sample seems to be dominated by dwarf or low surface brightness galaxies. This suggests that current DLA samples, especially those at low redshifts, could be biased against more enriched galaxies because the latter may cause higher dust obscuration of the background quasars.

Probing the Neutron‐Capture Nucleosynthesis History of Galactic Matter

The heavy elements formed by neutron-capture processes have an interesting history from which we can extract useful clues to and constraints upon both the characteristics of the processes themselves and the star formation and nucleosynthesis history of Galactic matter. Of particular interest in this regard are the heavy- element compositions of extremely metal deficient stars. At metallicities (Fe/H) ≤ 2.5, the elements in the mass region past barium ( ) have been found (in non-carbon-rich stars) to be pure r-process products. A 130-140 The identification of an environment provided by massive stars and associated Type II supernovae as an r-process site seems compelling. Increasing levels of heavy s-process (e.g., barium) enrichment with increasing metallicity, evident in the abundances of more metal rich halo stars and disk stars, reflect the delayed contributions from the low- and intermediate-mass ( ) stars that provide the site for the main s-process nucleosynthesis M ∼ 1-3 M, component during the asymptotic giant branch phase of their evolution. New abundance data in the mass region are providing insight into the identity of possible alternative r-process sites. We review recent 60 A 130 observational studies of heavy-element abundances in both low-metallicity halo stars and disk stars, discuss the observed trends in light of nucleosynthesis theory, and explore some implications of these results for Galactic chemical evolution, nucleosynthesis, and nucleocosmochronology.

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF HEAVY ELEMENTS IN METAL-POOR GALACTIC HALO STARS

We present new abundance determinations of neutron-capture elements Ge, Zr, Os, Ir, and Pt in a sample of 11 metal-poor (-3.1 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.6) Galactic halo giant stars, based on Hubble Space Telescope UV and Keck I optical high-resolution spectroscopy. The stellar sample is dominated by r-process-rich stars such as the well-studied CS 22892-052 and BD +17°3248 but also includes the r-process-poor, bright giant HD 122563. Our results demonstrate that abundances of the third r-process peak elements Os, Ir, and Pt in these metal-poor halo stars are very well correlated among themselves and with the abundances of the canonical r-process element Eu (determined in other studies), thus arguing for a common origin or site for r-process nucleosynthesis of heavier (Z > 56) elements. However, the large (and correlated) scatters of [Eu, Os, Ir, Pt/Fe] suggest that the heaviest neutron-capture r-process elements are not formed in all supernovae. In contrast, the Ge abundances of all program stars track their Fe abundances, very well. An explosive process on iron peak nuclei (e.g., the α-rich freezeout in supernovae), rather than neutron capture, appears to have been the dominant synthesis mechanism for this element at low metallicities: Ge abundances seem completely uncorrelated with Eu. The correlation (with very small scatter) of Ge and Fe abundances suggests that Ge must have been produced rather commonly in stars, even at early times in the Galaxy, over a wide range of metallicity. The Zr abundances show much the same behavior as Ge with (perhaps) somewhat more scatter, suggesting some variations in abundance with respect to Fe. The Zr abundances also do not vary cleanly with Eu abundances, indicating a synthesis origin different than that of heavier neutron-capture elements. Detailed abundance distributions for CS 22892-052 and BD +17°3248, combining the new elemental determinations for Os-Pt and recently published Nd and Ho measurements, show excellent agreement with the solar system r-process curve from the elements Ba to Pb. The lighter n-capture elements, including Ge, in general fall below the same solar system r-process curve that matches the heavier elements.

SPONTANEOUS INITIATION OF DETONATIONS IN WHITE DWARF ENVIRONMENTS: DETERMINATION OF CRITICAL SIZES

Some explosion models for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), such as the gravitationally confined detonation (GCD) or the double detonation sub-Chandrasekhar (DDSC) models, rely on the spontaneous initiation of a detonation in the degenerate / material of a white dwarf (WD). The length scales pertinent to the initiation of the detonation are notoriously unresolved in multidimensional stellar simulations, prompting the use of results of one-dimensional simulations at higher resolution, such as those performed for this work, as guidelines for deciding whether or not conditions reached in the higher dimensional full star simulations successfully would lead to the onset of a detonation. Spontaneous initiation relies on the existence of a suitable gradient in self-ignition (induction) times of the fuel, which we set up with a spatially localized nonuniformity of temperature?a hot spot. We determine the critical (smallest) sizes of such hot spots that still marginally result in a detonation in WD matter by integrating the reactive Euler equations with the hydrodynamics code FLASH. We quantify the dependences of the critical sizes of such hot spots on composition, background temperature, peak temperature, geometry, and functional form of the temperature disturbance, many of which were hitherto largely unexplored in the literature. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of modeling of SNe Ia.

The nature of the recurrent novae

The basic properties of individual recurrent nova systems are reviewed, and the mechanisms of their outbursts are studied. Some general properties associated with accretion events and thermonuclear runaway models are briefly examined, and detailed models for the recurrent novae T CrB, RS Oph, T Pyx, U Sco, and V1017 Sgr and the possible recurrent novae WZ Sge, V616 Mon, VY Aqr, RZ Leo, V1195 Oph, and V529 Ori are discussed. The results suggest that the outbursts of U Sco and T Pyx are caused by thermonuclear runaways on the surface of massive white dwarfs, while the outbursts of T CrB and RS Oph are very probably accretion events, initiated by a burst of mass transferred from a giant companion onto a main sequence star. V1017 Sgr fails the model criteria for a recurrent nova, being more properly considered a symbiotic star. V1195 Oph, RZ Leo, VY Aqr, and WZ Sge are assigned to the class of dwarf novae. No evidence is found that V529 Ori has recurred. 228 references.