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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Published on: December 14, 2017
Spectropolarimetric diagnostics of thermonuclear supernova explosions
Lifan Wang1, Dietrich Baade, Ferdinando Patat
1Physics Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4242, USA. wang@physics.tamu.edu
Abstract:
Even at extragalactic distances, the shape of supernova ejecta can be effectively diagnosed by spectropolarimetry. We present 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 type Ia supernova 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 results lend strong support to delayed-detonation models of type Ia supernovae.
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