Astrophysicists have proved the birth of the Russian Federation of the thermonuclear explosions of supernovae – RIA Novosti

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MOSCOW, Aug. 28 – RIA Novosti. Russian Astrophysics of the Space Research Institute (IKI) and their foreign counterparts have confirmed the theory that the which supernovae of type Ia particular are giant thermonuclear explosions superdense remnants of other stars – white dwarfs, the results of this work, authored by leading Russian experts, published in the journal Nature.

It is believed that Type Ia supernovae are the result of thermonuclear explosion of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, in the process of synthesizing a large amount of radioactive nickel-56 and rise to gamma radiation. Although previously been discovered hundreds of supernovae in different galaxies, their gamma-rays have never been able to register; accordingly, it was not possible to confirm the theoretical model of the origin of supernovae of type Ia.

Fifteenth January 2014 such a star exploded in the galaxy M82 – 11 million light years from Earth’s orbit. Arisen as a result of gamma radiation were able to detect an orbiting observatory “Integral” (a joint project of the Russian Space Agency, NASA and the European Space Agency). This is fully confirmed the theoretical concept of type Ia supernovae as a giant thermonuclear explosions.

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” Observations observatory “Integral” between the 50th and 100th days since the explosion reliably recorded radiation in the two most powerful gamma lines decay of radioactive cobalt-56 at energies 847 and 1237 keV, “- said the first author of the article, a senior fellow at SRI, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yevgeny Churazov whose words are reported.

“We were very lucky, especially because at the disposal of scientists from the Institute of Space Research was orbiting observatory” Integral “, – said the head of the Russian scientific observatory” Integral “, chief researcher at SRI academician Rashid Sunyaev.

He thanked the Russian scientific committee of the project “Integral” for agreeing to interrupt regular program of observations and “spend a million seconds of the Russian quota of observing time at the observation of this supernova”.

“It was in the course of these observations, we saw the first signs of decay of radioactive cobalt in the gamma-ray spectrum of the supernova, “- said Sunyaev.