Type Ia supernova sub-classes and progenitor origin

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents a short review on the current state of SN Ia progenitor origin. Type Ia supernova explosions (meaning thermonuclear disruption of a white dwarf) are observed to be widely diverse in peak luminosity, lightcurve width and shape, spectral features, and host stellar population environment. In the last decade alone, theoretical simulations and observational data have come together to seriously challenge the long-standing paradigm that all SNe Ia arise from explosions of Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs. In this review I highlight some of the major developments (and changing views) of our understanding of the nature of SN Ia progenitor systems. I give a brief overview of binary star configurations and their plausible explosion mechanisms, and infer links between some of the various (observationally-categorized) SN Ia sub-classes and their progenitor origins from a theoretical standpoint.