Abstract
The question of the possible progenitors of supernovae Type Ia (SNe Ia) is examined in the light of the existence of supersoft X-ray sources. It is argued that SNe Ia are thermonuclear explosions of accreting C−O white dwarfs. The existing observational evidence favors somewhat models in which the exploding star ignites carbon upon reaching the Chandrasekhar mass. A careful examination of all the potential progenitor classes reveals that when realization frequencies are combined with a variety of observational characteristics, no single class emerges as containing the obvious progenitors. It is argued that coalescing white dwarfs or supersoft X-ray sources are the most likely progenitor systems. A few critical observations which could help identify the progenitors unambiguously are discussed.
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© 1996 Springer-Verlag
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Livio, M. (1996). Type Ia supernovae and supersoft X-ray sources. In: Greiner, J. (eds) Supersoft X-Ray Sources. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 472. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0102263
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0102263
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