Institute for Advanced Study / Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

The commonly observed Type Ia supernovae likely occur when one star in a binary undergoes a sudden detonation triggered by the transfer of mass from a closely orbiting companion. Due to the short orbital period of 5-10 minutes of many explosion scenarios, the surviving companion is ejected at over 1000 kilometers/second. Such fast moving stars have now been discovered and motivate our theoretical exploration of how the interaction of the expanding explosive material with a companion star can be detected. Using 3D numerical computations, I will highlight how the interaction brightens the supernovae in the first day and creates an indelible wake in the expanding ejecta that should be detectable in late-time nebular emission as well as possibly shaping the supernovae remnant hundreds of years later.