A super-Chandrasekhar mass type Ia supernova progenitor at 49 pc set to detonate in 23 Gyr
Abstract Double white dwarf binaries are a leading explanation of the origin of type Ia supernovae, but no system exceeding the Chandrasekhar mass limit (1.4 M ⊙ ) has been found that will explode anywhere close to a Hubble time. Here we present the super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarf WDJ181058.67+311940.94 whose merger time (22.6 ± 1.0 Gyr) is of the same order as a Hubble time. The mass of the binary is large, combining to 1.555 ± 0.044 M ⊙ , while being located only 49 pc away. We predict that the binary will explode dynamically by means of a double detonation that will destroy both stars just before they merge, appearing as a subluminous type Ia supernova with a peak apparent magnitude of about m V = −16 (200,000 times brighter than Jupiter). The observationally derived birth rate of super-Chandrasekhar mass double white dwarfs is now at least 6.0 × 10 −4 yr −1 and the observed rate of type Ia supernovae in the Milky Way from such systems is approximately 4.4 × 10 −5 yr −1 , whereas the predicted type Ia supernova rate in the Milky Way from all progenitor channels is about sixty times larger. Hence, WDJ181058.67+311940.94 mitigates the observed deficit of massive double white dwarfs witnessed in volume-complete populations, but further evidence is required to determine the majority progenitors of type Ia supernovae.
Authors
- James Munday (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1872-5398)
- Snehalata Sahu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0801-8745)
- Tim Cunningham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7296-3533)
- Silvia Toonen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2998-7940)
- M. Magee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0629-8931)
- Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9873-0121)
- Rüdiger Pakmor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3308-2420)
- G. Nelemans (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-2974)
- Abinaya Swaruba Rajamuthukumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1872-0124)
- Antoine Bédard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2384-1326)
- Ingrid Pelisoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4615-6556)
- David Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3947-5946)
Institutions
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Universidad de La Laguna (ES)
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (DE)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Nordic Optical Telescope (ES)
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES)
- Space Research Organisation Netherlands (NL)
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- KU Leuven (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Astronomy
- Published
- 2025-04-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02528-4
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.08
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Aarhus Universitet
- Space Telescope Science Institute
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
- Royal Society
- European Commission
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Universitetet i Oslo
- Háskóli Íslands
- Turun Yliopisto
- Stockholms Universitet
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- European Regional Development Fund
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación