Type Ia Supernova Ejecta Research Articles

Early excess emission in Type Ia supernovae from the interaction between supernova ejecta and their circumstellar wind

ABSTRACT The effects of the interaction between Type Ia supernova ejecta and their circumstellar wind on the photometric properties of Type Ia supernovae are investigated. We assume that a hydrogen-rich, dense, and extended circumstellar matter (CSM) is formed by the steady mass-loss of their progenitor systems. The CSM density is assumed to be proportional to r−2. When the mass-loss rate is above 10−4 M⊙ yr−1 with a wind velocity of 100 km s−1, CSM interaction results in an early flux excess in optical light curves within 4 d of explosion. In these cases, the optical colour quickly evolves to the blue. The ultraviolet flux below 3000 Å is found to have a persistent flux excess compared to Type Ia supernovae as long as CSM interaction continues. Type Ia supernovae with progenitor mass-loss rates between 10−4 and 10−3 M⊙ yr−1 may not have a CSM that is dense enough to affect spectra to make them Type Ia CSM, but they may still result in Type Ia supernovae with an early optical flux excess. Because they have a persistent ultraviolet flux excess, ultraviolet light curves around the luminosity peak would be significantly different from those with a low-density CSM.

Type Ia supernova ejecta–donor interaction: explosion model comparison

ABSTRACT In the single-degenerate scenario of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), the interaction between high-speed ejected material and the donor star in a binary system is expected to lead to mass being stripped from the donor. A series of multidimensional hydrodynamical simulations of ejecta–donor interaction have been performed in previous studies most of which adopt either a simplified analytical model or the W7 model to represent a normal SN Ia explosion. Whether different explosion mechanisms can significantly affect the results of ejecta–donor interaction is still unclear. In this work, we simulate hydrodynamical ejecta interactions with a main-sequence (MS) donor star in two dimensions for two near-Chandrasekhar-mass explosion models of SNe Ia, the W7 and N100 models. We find that about 0.30 and $0.37\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ of hydrogen-rich material are stripped from a $2.5\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ donor star in a 2 d orbit by the SN Ia explosion in simulations with the W7 deflagration and N100 delayed-detonation explosion model, respectively. The donor star receives a kick of about 74 and $86\, \mathrm{km}\, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$, respectively, in each case. The modal velocity, about $500\, \mathrm{km}\, \mathrm{s}^{-1}$, of stripped hydrogen-rich material in the N100 model is faster than the W7 model, with modal velocity of about $350\, \mathrm{km\, s^{-1}}$, by a factor 1.4. Based on our results, we conclude that the choice of near-Chandrasekhar-mass explosion model for normal SNe Ia seems to not significantly alter the ejecta–donor interaction for a given MS donor model, at least in 2D.

ASASSN-14lp: two possible solutions for the observed ultraviolet suppression

ABSTRACT We test the adequacy of ultraviolet (UV) spectra for characterizing the outer structure of Type Ia supernova (SN) ejecta. For this purpose, we perform spectroscopic analysis for ASASSN-14lp, a normal SN Ia showing low continuum in the mid-UV regime. To explain the strong UV suppression, two possible origins have been investigated by mapping the chemical profiles over a significant part of their ejecta. We fit the spectral time series with mid-UV coverage obtained before and around maximum light by HST, supplemented with ground-based optical observations for the earliest epochs. The synthetic spectra are calculated with the one-dimensional MC radiative transfer code tardis from self-consistent ejecta models. Among several physical parameters, we constrain the abundance profiles of nine chemical elements. We find that a distribution of 56Ni (and other iron-group elements) that extends towards the highest velocities reproduces the observed UV flux well. The presence of radioactive material in the outer layers of the ejecta, if confirmed, implies strong constraints on the possible explosion scenarios. We investigate the impact of the inferred 56Ni distribution on the early light curves with the radiative transfer code turtls, and confront the results with the observed light curves of ASASSN-14lp. The inferred abundances are not in conflict with the observed photometry. We also test whether the UV suppression can be reproduced if the radiation at the photosphere is significantly lower in the UV regime than the pure Planck function. In this case, solar metallicity might be sufficient enough at the highest velocities to reproduce the UV suppression.

Understanding nebular spectra of Type Ia supernovae

ABSTRACT In this study, we present one-dimensional, non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium, radiative transfer simulations (using cmfgen) in which we introduce micro-clumping at nebular times into two Type Ia supernova ejecta models. We use one sub-Chandrasekhar (sub-MCh) ejecta model with 1.04 M⊙ and one Chandrasekhar (MCh) ejecta model with 1.40 M⊙. We introduce clumping factors f = 0.33, 0.25, and 0.10, which are constant throughout the ejecta, and compare results to the unclumped f = 1.0 case. We find that clumping is a natural mechanism to reduce the ionization of the ejecta, reducing emission from [Fe iii], [Ar iii], and [S iii] by a factor of a few. For decreasing values of the clumping factor f, the [Ca ii] λλ7291,7324 doublet became a dominant cooling line for our MCh model but remained weak in our sub-MCh model. Strong [Ca ii] λλ7291,7324 indicates non-thermal heating in that region and may constrain explosion modelling. Due to the low abundance of stable nickel, our sub-MCh model never showed the [Ni ii] 1.939-μm diagnostic feature for all clumping values.

Constraining Type Ia supernova asymmetry with the gamma-ray escape time-scale

We calculate the effects of an asymmetric $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ distribution in Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) ejecta on the gamma-ray escape timescale ($t_0$) that characterizes the late light curve ($>40$ days after peak) and find the effect is modest compared to other possible variations in ejecta structure. We parameterize asymmetry in the $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ distribution and calculate $t_0$ for a grid of SN ejecta models spanning a large volume of the asymmetry parameter space. The models have spherical density profiles while the $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ distribution in them has various levels of asymmetry. By placing constraints based on the observational measurement of $t_0$ and other general properties of SN Ia ejecta, we find the range of allowed asymmetry in the $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ distribution. Considering these constraints we find that some level of asymmetry in the distribution is not ruled out. However, models with a single ejecta mass and varying $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ distributions cannot explain the full range of observed $t_0$ values. This strengthens the claim that both Chandrasekhar mass and sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosions are required to explain the diversity of SN Ia observations.

Chandrasekhar and Sub-Chandrasekhar Models for the X-Ray Emission of Type Ia Supernova Remnants. I. Bulk Properties

Abstract Type Ia supernovae originate from the explosion of carbon–oxygen white dwarfs in binary systems, but the exact nature of their progenitors remains elusive. The bulk properties of Type Ia supernova remnants, such as the radius and the centroid energy of the Fe Kα blend in the X-ray spectrum, are determined by the properties of the supernova ejecta and the ambient medium. We model the interaction between Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar models for Type Ia supernova ejecta and a range of uniform ambient medium densities in one dimension up to an age of 5000 years. We generate synthetic X-ray spectra from these supernova remnant models and compare their bulk properties at different expansion ages with X-ray observations from Chandra and Suzaku. We find that our models can successfully reproduce the bulk properties of most observed remnants, suggesting that Type Ia SN progenitors do not modify their surroundings significantly on scales of a few pc, although more detailed models are required to establish quantitative limits on the density of any such surrounding circumstellar material. Ambient medium density and expansion age are the main contributors to the diversity of the bulk properties in our models. Chandrasekhar and sub-Chandrasekhar progenitors make similar predictions for the bulk remnant properties, but detailed fits to X-ray spectra have the power to discriminate explosion energetics and progenitor scenarios.

Enrichment of Zinc in Galactic Chemodynamical Evolution Models

Abstract The heaviest iron-peak element Zinc (Zn) has been used as an important tracer of cosmic chemical evolution. Spectroscopic observations of the metal-poor stars in Local Group galaxies show an increasing trend of [Zn/Fe] ratios toward lower metallicity. However, the enrichment of Zn in galaxies is not well understood due to poor knowledge of astrophysical sites of Zn, as well as metal mixing in galaxies. Here we show possible explanations for the observed trend by taking into account electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe) as one of the sources of Zn in our chemodynamical simulations of dwarf galaxies. We find that the ejecta from ECSNe contribute to stars with [Zn/Fe] ≳ 0.5. We also find that scatters of [Zn/Fe] in higher metallicities originate from the ejecta of type Ia supernovae. On the other hand, it appears difficult to explain the observed trends if we do not consider ECSNe as a source of Zn. These results come from an inhomogeneous spatial metallicity distribution due to the inefficiency of the metal mixing. We find that the optimal value of the scaling factor for the metal diffusion coefficient is ∼0.01 in the shear-based metal mixing model in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. These results suggest that ECSNe could be one of the contributors of the enrichment of Zn in galaxies.

The formation of the Milky Way halo and its dwarf satellites; a NLTE-1D abundance analysis

We present the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) abundances of up to 10 chemical species in a sample of 59 very metal-poor (VMP, −4 ≤ [Fe/H] ≾−2) stars in seven dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) and in the Milky Way (MW) halo. Our results are based on high-resolution spectroscopic datasets and homogeneous and accurate atmospheric parameters determined in Paper I. We show that once the NLTE effects are properly taken into account, all massive galaxies in our sample, that is, the MW halo and the classical dSphs Sculptor, Ursa Minor, Sextans, and Fornax, reveal a similar plateau at [α/Fe] ≃ 0.3 for each of the α-process elements: Mg, Ca, and Ti. We put on a firm ground the evidence for a decline in α/Fe with increasing metallicity in the Boötes I ultra-faint dwarf galaxy (UFD), that is most probably due to the ejecta of type Ia supernovae. For Na/Fe, Na/Mg, and Al/Mg, the MW halo and all dSphs reveal indistinguishable trends with metallicity, suggesting that the processes of Na and Al synthesis are identical in all systems, independent of their mass. The dichotomy in the [Sr/Ba] versus [Ba/H] diagram is observed in the classical dSphs, similarly to the MW halo, calling for two different nucleosynthesis channels for Sr. We show that Sr in the massive galaxies is well correlated with Mg suggesting a strong link to massive stars and that its origin is essentially independent of Ba, for most of the [Ba/H] range. Our three UFDs, that is Boötes I, UMa II, and Leo IV, are depleted in Sr and Ba relative to Fe and Mg, with very similar ratios of [Sr/Mg] ≃−1.3 and [Ba/Mg] ≃−1 on the entire range of their Mg abundances. The subsolar Sr/Ba ratios of Boötes I and UMa II indicate a common r-process origin of their neutron-capture elements. Sculptor remains the classical dSph, in which the evidence for inhomogeneous mixing in the early evolution stage, at [Fe/H] <−2, is the strongest.

The Populations of Carina. II. Chemical Enrichment*

Abstract Chemical abundances are presented for 19 elements in a sample of 63 red giants in the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph), based on homogeneous 1D/LTE model atmosphere analyses of our own observations (32 stars) and data available in the literature (a further 31 independent stars). The (Fe) metallicity and [α/Fe] distribution functions have mean values and dispersions of −1.59 and 0.33 dex ([Fe/H] range: −2.68 to −0.64) and 0.07 and 0.13 dex ([α/Fe] range: −0.27 to 0.25), respectively. We confirm the finding of Venn et al. that a small percentage (some 10% in the present investigation) of the sample shows clear evidence for significant enrichment by Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) ejecta. Calcium, with the most accurately determined abundance of the α-elements, shows an asymmetric distribution toward smaller values of [Ca/Fe] at all [Fe/H], most significantly over −2.0 < [Fe/H] < −1.0, suggestive of incomplete mixing of the ejecta of SNe Ia with the ambient medium of each of Carina’s generations. Approximate color–magnitude diagram age estimates are presented for the sample, and together with our chemical abundances, compared with the results of our previous synthetic color–magnitude diagram analysis, which reported the details of Carina’s four well-defined populations. We searched for the Na–O anticorrelation universally reported in the Galaxy’s globular clusters and confirm that this phenomenon does not exist in Carina. We also found that one of the 32 stars in our sample has an extremely enhanced lithium abundance—A(Li)NLTE = +3.36, consistent with membership of the ∼1% group of Li-rich stars in dSph described by Kirby et al.

Pure iron grains are rare in the universe.

The abundant forms in which the major elements in the universe exist have been determined from numerous astronomical observations and meteoritic analyses. Iron (Fe) is an exception, in that only depletion of gaseous Fe has been detected in the interstellar medium, suggesting that Fe is condensed into a solid, possibly the astronomically invisible metal. To determine the primary form of Fe, we replicated the formation of Fe grains in gaseous ejecta of evolved stars by means of microgravity experiments. We found that the sticking probability for the formation of Fe grains is extremely small; only a few atoms will stick per hundred thousand collisions so that homogeneous nucleation of metallic Fe grains is highly ineffective, even in the Fe-rich ejecta of type Ia supernovae. This implies that most Fe is locked up as grains of Fe compounds or as impurities accreted onto other grains in the interstellar medium.

Early ultraviolet signatures from the interaction of Type Ia supernova ejecta with a stellar companion

The progenitors of SNe Ia are not yet fully understood. The two leading progenitor scenarios are the single-degenerate (SD) scenario and the double-degenerate scenario. In the SD scenario, the collision of the SN Ia ejecta with its companion star is expected to produce detectable ultraviolet (UV) emission in the first few days after the SN explosion within certain viewing angles. A strong UV flash has recently been detected in an SN 2002es-like peculiar SN Ia iPTF14atg by Cao et al., which is interpreted as evidence of an early-time UV signature due to SN ejecta interacting with its companion star, supporting the SD scenario. In this paper, we present the expected luminosity distributions of early-time UV emission arising from SN Ia ejecta-companion interaction by performing binary population synthesis calculations for different progenitor systems in the SD scenario. Our theoretical predictions will be helpful for future early-time observations of SNe Ia to constrain their possible progenitors. Assuming the observed strong UV pulse of iPTF14atg was indeed produced by the SN ejecta-companion interaction, our population synthesis model suggests that the progenitor system of iPTF14atg is most likely a red-giant donor binary system, and it is unlikely to have been a main-sequence or helium-star donor system.

RADIATIVE TRANSFER SIMULATIONS OF NEUTRON STAR MERGER EJECTA

The merger of binary neutron stars (NSs) is among the most promising gravitational wave (GW) sources. Next-generation GW detectors are expected to detect signals from the NS merger within 200 Mpc. Detection of electromagnetic wave (EM) counterpart is crucial to understand the nature of GW sources. Among possible EM emission from the NS merger, emission powered by radioactive r-process nuclei is one of the best targets for follow-up observations. However, prediction so far does not take into account detailed r-process element abundances in the ejecta. We perform radiative transfer simulations for the NS merger ejecta including all the r-process elements from Ga to U for the first time. We show that the opacity in the NS merger ejecta is about kappa = 10 cm^2 g^{-1}, which is higher than that of Fe-rich Type Ia supernova ejecta by a factor of ~ 100. As a result, the emission is fainter and longer than previously expected. The spectra are almost featureless due to the high expansion velocity and bound-bound transitions of many different r-process elements. We demonstrate that the emission is brighter for a higher mass ratio of two NSs and a softer equation of states adopted in the merger simulations. Because of the red color of the emission, follow-up observations in red optical and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths will be the most efficient. At 200 Mpc, expected brightness of the emission is i = 22 - 25 AB mag, z = 21 - 23 AB mag, and 21 - 24 AB mag in NIR JHK bands. Thus, observations with wide-field 4m- and 8m-class optical telescopes and wide-field NIR space telescopes are necessary. We also argue that the emission powered by radioactive energy can be detected in the afterglow of nearby short gamma-ray bursts.

SEGUE 2: THE LEAST MASSIVE GALAXY

Segue 2, discovered by Belokurov et al. (2009), is a galaxy with a luminosity of only 900 L_sun. We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy of 25 members of Segue 2--a threefold increase in spectroscopic sample size. The velocity dispersion is too small to be measured with our data. The upper limit with 90% (95%) confidence is sigma_v < 2.2 (2.6) km/s, the most stringent limit for any galaxy. The corresponding limit on the mass within the 3-D half-light radius (46 pc) is M_1/2 < 1.5 (2.1) x 10^5 M_sun. Segue 2 is the least massive galaxy known. We identify Segue 2 as a galaxy rather than a star cluster based the wide dispersion in [Fe/H] (from -2.85 to -1.33) among the member stars. The stars' [alpha/Fe] ratios decline with increasing [Fe/H], indicating that Segue 2 retained Type Ia supernova ejecta despite its presently small mass and that star formation lasted for at least 100 Myr. The mean metallicity, <[Fe/H]> = -2.22 +/- 0.13 (about the same as the Ursa Minor galaxy, 330 times more luminous than Segue 2), is higher than expected from the luminosity-metallicity relation defined by more luminous dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way. Segue 2 may be the barest remnant of a tidally stripped, Ursa Minor-sized galaxy. If so, it is the best example of an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy that came to be ultra-faint through tidal stripping. Alternatively, Segue 2 could have been born in a very low-mass dark matter subhalo (v_max < 10 km/s), below the atomic hydrogen cooling limit.

Three-dimensional simulations of the interaction between Type Ia supernova ejecta and their main sequence companions

The identity of the progenitor systems of SNe Ia is still uncertain. In the single-degenerate (SD) scenario, the interaction between the SN blast wave and the outer layers of a main sequence (MS) companion star strips off H-rich material which is then mixed into the ejecta. Strong contamination of the SN ejecta with stripped material could lead to a conflict with observations of SNe Ia. This constrains the SD progenitor model. In this work, our previous simulations based on simplified progenitor donor stars have been updated by adopting more realistic progenitor-system models that result from fully detailed, state-of-the-art binary evolution calculations. We use Eggleton's stellar evolution code including the optically thick accretion wind model and the possibility of the effects of accretion disk instabilities to obtain realistic models of companions for different progenitor systems. The impact of the SN blast wave on these companion stars is followed in three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations employing the SPH code GADGET3. We find that the stripped masses range from 0.11 to 0.18 M_sun. The kick velocity is between 51 and 105 km/s. We find that the stripped mass and kick velocity depend on the ratio of the orbital separation to the radius of a companion. They can be fitted by a power law for a given companion model. However, the structure of the companion star is also important for the amount of stripped material. With more realistic companion star models than in previous studies, our simulations show that the H masses stripped from companions are inconsistent with the best observational limits (< 0.01 M_sun) derived from nebular spectra. However, a rigorous forward modeling based on impact simulations with radiation transfer is required to reliably predict observable signatures of the stripped H and to conclusively assess the viability of the considered SN Ia progenitor scenario.

Monte Carlo radiation hydrodynamics: methods, tests and application to Type Ia supernova ejecta

In astrophysical systems, radiation-matter interactions are important in transferring energy and momentum between the radiation field and the surrounding material. This coupling often makes it necessary to consider the role of radiation when modelling the dynamics of astrophysical fluids. During the last few years, there have been rapid developments in the use of Monte Carlo methods for numerical radiative transfer simulations. Here, we present an approach to radiation hydrodynamics that is based on coupling Monte Carlo radiative transfer techniques with finite-volume hydrodynamical methods in an operator-split manner. In particular, we adopt an indivisible packet formalism to discretize the radiation field into an ensemble of Monte Carlo packets and employ volume-based estimators to reconstruct the radiation field characteristics. In this paper the numerical tools of this method are presented and their accuracy is verified in a series of test calculations. Finally, as a practical example, we use our approach to study the influence of the radiation-matter coupling on the homologous expansion phase and the bolometric light curve of Type Ia supernova explosions.

The Chemical Evolution of Milky Way Satellite Galaxies from Keck Spectroscopy

AbstractThe primary data product of a recent Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic campaign of eight Milky Way dwarf spheroidal (dSph) satellite galaxies is a catalog of nearly 3000 red giants with spectral synthesis-based abundance measurements of Fe and the α elements Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti. The dSph metallicity distributions show that the histories of the less luminous dSphs were marked by massive amounts of metal loss. The [α/Fe] distributions reveal that the early star formation histories (at a lookback time of &gt;12 Gyr) of most dSphs were very similar and that Type Ia supernova ejecta contributed to the abundances of all but the most metal-poor ([Fe/H] &lt; −2.5) stars. This large data set allows inferences of past outflows from the dSphs in order to determine their contribution to the metal content of the intergalactic medium.

FIRST EVIDENCE OF GLOBULAR CLUSTER FORMATION FROM THE EJECTA OF PROMPT TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

Recent spectroscopic observations of globular clusters (GCs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) have discovered that one of the intermediate-age GC, NGC 1718 with [Fe/H]=-0.7 has an extremely low [Mg/Fe] ratio of ~-0.9. We propose that NGC 1718 was formed from the ejecta of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) mixed with very metal-poor ([Fe/H] <-1.3) gas about ~ 2 Gyr ago. The proposed scenario is shown to be consistent with the observed abundances of Fe-group elements such as Cr, Mn, and Ni. In addition, compelling evidence for asymptotic giant branch stars playing a role in chemical enrichment during this GC formation is found. We suggest that the origin of the metal-poor gas is closely associated with the efficient gas-transfer from the outer gas disk of the Small Magellanic Cloud to the LMC disk. We anticipate that the outer part of the LMC disk contains field stars exhibiting significantly low [Mg/Fe] ratios, formed through the same process as NGC 1718.

UNBURNED MATERIAL IN THE EJECTA OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

(Abridged) The presence of unburned material in the ejecta of normal Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) is investigated using early-time spectroscopy obtained by the CSP. The tell-tale signature of pristine material from a C+O white dwarf progenitor star is the presence of carbon. The most prominent carbon lines in optical spectra of SNeIa are due to C II. We find that at least 30% of the objects in the sample show an absorption at ~6300 AA which is attributed to C II 6580. An association to H_alpha is considered to be unlikely. These findings imply a larger incidence of carbon in SNeIa ejecta than previously noted. We show how observational biases and physical conditions may hide these C II lines, and account for the scarcity of previous carbon detections. This relatively large frequency of carbon detections has crucial implications on our understanding of the explosive process. The observations indicate that carbon is present merely ~1000 km s^-1 above the bulk of Si II. Spectral modeling shows the detections are consistent with a mass of carbon of 10^-3--10^-2 M_sun. This would imply substantial mixing, which may be related to asymmetries of the flame propagation or clumps of unburned material along the line of sight. However, the uniformity of the relation between C II and Si II velocities is not consistent with the latter scenario. The observational properties of SNeIa with and without carbon signatures are compared. A trend toward bluer color and lower luminosity is found for objects with carbon.

FORMATION OF DUST IN THE EJECTA OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

We investigate the formation of dust grains in the ejecta of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), adopting the carbon-deflagration W7 model. In the calculations of dust formation, we apply the nucleation and grain growth theory and consider the two cases with and without formation of CO and SiO molecules. The results of the calculations show that for the sticking probability of alpha_j=1, C, silicate, Si, and FeS grains can condense at early times of ~100--300 days after the explosion, whereas Fe and SiC grains cannot form substantially. Due to the low gas density in SNe Ia with no H-envelope, the average radii of the newly formed grains are generally below 0.01 micron, being much smaller than those in Type II-P SNe. This supports our previous conclusion that the radius of dust formed in the ejecta is smaller in SNe with less massive envelopes. The total dust mass ranges from 3x10^{-4} M_sun to 0.2 M_sun for alpha_j=0.1--1, depending on whether or not CO and SiO molecules are formed. We also estimate the optical depths and thermal emission by the newly formed dust and compare to the relevant observations of SNe Ia. We find that the formation of C grains in SNe Ia is suppressed to be consistent with the observational constraints. This implies that energetic photons and electrons heavily depress the formation efficiency of C grains or that the outermost C-O layer of SNe Ia is almost fully burned. Finally, we perform the calculations of dust destruction in the SN remnants and find that dust grains formed in the ejecta of SNe Ia are almost completely destroyed in the shocked gas before being injected into the interstellar medium. This indicates that SNe Ia are unlikely to be the major sources of interstellar dust.

MULTI-ELEMENT ABUNDANCE MEASUREMENTS FROM MEDIUM-RESOLUTION SPECTRA. IV. ALPHA ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS IN MILKY WAY SATELLITE GALAXIES

We derive the star formation histories of eight dwarf spheroidal (dSph) Milky Way satellite galaxies from their alpha element abundance patterns. Nearly 3000 stars from our previously published catalog comprise our data set. The average [α/Fe] ratios for all dSphs follow roughly the same path with increasing [Fe/H]. We do not observe the predicted knees in the [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] diagram, corresponding to the metallicity at which Type Ia supernovae begin to explode. Instead, we find that Type Ia supernova ejecta contribute to the abundances of all but the most metal-poor ([Fe/H] < −2.5) stars. We have also developed a chemical evolution model that tracks the star formation rate, Types II and Ia supernova explosions, and supernova feedback. Without metal enhancement in the supernova blowout, massive amounts of gas loss define the history of all dSphs except Fornax, the most luminous in our sample. All six of the best-fit model parameters correlate with dSph luminosity but not with velocity dispersion, half-light radius, or Galactocentric distance.