Thermally Stable Nuclear Burning on Accreting White Dwarfs

Abstract

One of the challenges to increasing the mass of a white dwarf through accretion is the tendency for the accumulating hydrogen to ignite unstably and potentially trigger mass loss. It has been known for many years that there is a narrow range of accretion rates for which the hydrogen can burn stably, allowing for the white dwarf mass to increase as a pure helium layer accumulates. We first review the physics of stable burning, providing a clear explanation for why radiation pressure stabilization leads to a narrow range of accretion rates for stable burning near the Eddington limit, confirming the recent work of Nomoto and collaborators. We also explore the possibility of stabilization due to a high luminosity from beneath the burning layer. We then examine the impact of the beta-decay-limited ''hot'' CNO cycle on the stability of burning. Though this plays a significant role for accreting neutron stars, we find that for accreting white dwarfs, it can only increase the range of stably-burning accretion rates for metallicities below 0.01 solar metallicity.

Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 7 pages, 4 figures; v2: Minor changes to correct typos and clarify content

References in corpus (9)

• The Origin of the Mass--Metallicity Relation: Insights from 53,000 Star-Forming Galaxies in the SDSS
• Type Ia Supernova Explosion Models
• On Extending the Mass-Metallicity Relation of Galaxies by 2.5 Decades in Stellar Mass
• A New Evolutionary Path to Type Ia Supernovae: Helium-Rich Super-Soft X-Ray Source Channel
• Theoretical Modeling of the Thermal State of Accreting White Dwarfs Undergoing Classical Novae
• First measurement of the 14N(p,gamma)15O cross section down to 70 keV
• Surface Hydrogen Modeling of Super Soft X-ray Sources: Are They Supernova Ia Progenitors?
• On the stability of thermonuclear shell sources in stars
• A Two-Zone Model for Type I X-ray Bursts on Accreting Neutron Stars

Cited by in corpus (103)

• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Binaries, Pulsations, and Explosions
• Observational clues to the progenitors of Type-Ia supernovae
• The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
• Supernova remnants: the X-ray perspective
• Type-Ia supernova rates and the progenitor problem, a review
• Sub-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf detonations revisited
• Thermal Stability of White Dwarfs Accreting Hydrogen-rich Matter and Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae
• Hydrogen Burning on Accreting White Dwarfs: Stability, Recurrent Novae, and the Post-Novae Supersoft Source
• The Long-Term Evolution of Double White Dwarf Mergers
• The Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae
• On the Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae
• Thermonuclear .Ia Supernovae from Helium Shell Detonations: Explosion Models and Observables
• EVLA Observations Constrain the Environment and Progenitor System of Type Ia Supernova 2011fe
• New Insights into Classical Novae
• Unstable Helium Shell Burning on Accreting White Dwarfs
• Type Ia Supernova Explosions in Binary Systems: A Review
• The Ignition of Carbon Detonations via Converging Shock Waves in White Dwarfs
• Spin-Up/Spin-Down models for Type Ia Supernovae
• The Thermonuclear Runaway and the Classical Nova Outburst
• No X-rays from the very nearby Type Ia SN2014J: constraints on its environment
• He-Accreting WDs: accretion regimes and final outcomes
• The separation distribution and merger rate of double white dwarfs: improved constraints
• Constraints on the progenitor system and the environs of SN 2014J from deep radio observations
• Circumstellar absorption in double detonation Type Ia supernovae
• Relativistic collapse and explosion of rotating supermassive stars with thermonuclear effects
• Single Degenerate Models for Type Ia Supernovae Progenitor's Evolution and Nucleosythesis Yields
• Evidence for Sub-Chandrasekhar Type Ia Supernovae from Stellar Abundances in Dwarf Galaxies
• The Nova Shell and Evolution of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis
• The Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae: II. Are they Double-Degenerate Binaries? The Symbiotic Channel
• Carbon Shell or Core Ignitions in White Dwarfs Accreting from Helium Stars
• A common-envelope wind model for Type Ia supernovae (I): binary evolution and birth rate
• Manganese Indicates a Transition from Sub- to Near-Chandrasekhar Type Ia Supernovae in Dwarf Galaxies
• The Behavior of Novae Light Curves Before Eruption
• The Effect of Composition on Nova Ignitions
• The Absence of Ex-Companions in Type Ia Supernova Remnants
• Orbital Evolution of Compact White Dwarf Binaries
• Novae With Long-Lasting Supersoft Emission That Drive a High Accretion Rate
• Comprehensive models of novae at metallicity $Z=0.02$ and $Z=10^{-4}$
• Binary Interaction Dominates Mass Ejection in Classical Novae
• The White Dwarf Binary Pathways Survey IV: Three close white dwarf binaries with G-type secondary stars
• Population synthesis of accreting white dwarfs: II. X-ray and UV emission
• The Change of the Orbital Periods Across Eruptions and the Ejected Mass For Recurrent Novae CI Aquilae and U Scorpii
• The Deepest Radio Observations of Nearby Type IA Supernovae: Constraining Progenitor Types and Optimizing Future Surveys
• Constraints on single-degenerate Chandrasekhar mass progenitors of Type Iax supernovae
• Models for Type Ia supernovae and related astrophysical transients
• Wind-accretion disks in wide binaries, second generation protoplanetary disks and accretion onto white dwarfs
• Pre-explosion companion stars in Type Iax supernovae
• Radio transients from accretion-induced collapse of white dwarfs
• Collimation and asymmetry of the hot blast wave from the recurrent nova V745 Scorpii
• Super-Eddington wind scenario for the progenitors of type Ia supernovae: Accreting He-rich matter onto white dwarfs
• Reversing the verdict: Cataclysmic variables could be the dominant progenitors of AM CVn binaries after all
• Helium White Dwarfs in Cataclysmic Variables
• Novae heat their food: mass transfer by irradiation
• New outburst of the symbiotic nova AG Peg after 165 years
• Disc instability in RS Ophiuchi: a path to Type Ia supernovae?
• The interaction of Type Iax supernova ejecta with a helium companion star
• Forming merging double compact objects with stable mass transfer
• Wind mass transfer in S-type symbiotic binaries I. Focusing by the wind compression model
• Nebular H$\alpha$ Limits for Fast Declining Type Ia Supernovae
• A Super-Eddington Wind Scenario for the Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae
• Constraining the Source of the High-velocity Ejecta in Type Ia SN 2019ein
• Heavy Elements Nucleosynthesis On Accreting White Dwarfs: building seeds for the p-process
• Evolution of Magnetized White Dwarf Binaries to Type Ia Supernovae
• Transients from the Cataclysmic Deaths of Cataclysmic Variables
• The 2010 Eruption of the Recurrent Nova U Scorpii: The Multi-Wavelength Light Curve
• Very Late Thermal Pulses Influenced by Accretion in Planetary Nebulae
• Formation of the Asymmetric Accretion Disk from Stellar Wind Accretion in an S-type Symbiotic Star
• CI Aql: a Type Ia supernova progenitor?
• Evolution of Helium Star - White Dwarf Binaries Leading up to Thermonuclear Supernovae
• Shortest Recurrence Periods of Forced Novae
• A 2 hour periodic variation in the low mass X-ray binary Ser X-1
• Long-term evolution of surviving companion stars of Type Iax supernovae
• The Dynamical Roche Lobe in Hierarchical Triples
• Simulations of Multiple Nova Eruptions Induced by Wind Accretion in Symbiotic Systems
• The Signature of Single-Degenerate Accretion Induced Collapse
• Attenuation of super-soft X-ray sources by circumstellar material
• Signatures of a surviving helium-star companion in Type Ia supernovae and constraints on the progenitor companion of SN 2011fe
• DASCH Discovery of A Possible Nova-like Outburst in A Peculiar Symbiotic Binary
• Formation and Evolution of Accreting Compact Objects
• The path to Z And-type outbursts: The case of V426 Sagittae (HBHA 1704-05)
• Hen 3-860: New southern eclipsing symbiotic star observed in the outburst
• Repeated transient jets from a warped disk in the symbiotic prototype Z And: A link to the long-lasting active phase
• THA 15-31: Discovery with VLT/X-Shooter and Swift/UVOT of a new symbiotic star of the accreting-only variety
• VTC J095517.5+690813: A radio transient from an accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf?
• Supernova Remnants as Clues to Their Progenitors
• Type Ia Supernova Models and Progenitor Scenarios
• Long-term evolution of post-explosion Helium-star Companions of Type Iax Supernovae
• Radio Observations of Six Young Type Ia Supernovae
• Multiwavelength modelling the SED of supersoft X-ray sources III. RS Ophiuchi: The supersoft X-ray phase and beyond
• A super-Eddington wind scenario for the progenitors of type Ia supernovae: binary population synthesis calculations
• The C/N ratio from FUV spectroscopy as a constraint upon the past evolution of HS0218+3229
• Multiwavelength modeling the SED of Luminous Supersoft X-ray Sources in Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud
• Wind-mass transfer in S-type symbiotic binaries IV. Indication of high wind-mass-transfer efficiency from active phases
• Linking the properties of accreting white dwarfs with the ionization state of their ambient medium
• Producing type Ia supernovae from hybrid CONe white dwarfs with main-sequence binary companions at low metallicity of Z = 0.0001
• Persistent nuclear burning in Nova Sgr 2016 N.4 (= V5856 Sgr = ASASSN-16ma) six years past its outburst
• V1047 Cen: The first Z And-type outburst observed in the classical nova binary
• The applicability of the wind compression model
• Circumstellar Medium Constraints on the Environment of Two Nearby Type Ia Supernovae: SN 2017cbv and SN 2020nlb
• Magnetic dynamos in white dwarfs -III: explaining the occurrence of strong magnetic fields in close double white dwarfs
• Triggering micronovae through magnetically confined accretion flows in accreting white dwarfs
• Accreting White Dwarfs
• Evolved stars as donors in symbiotic binaries