Two-dimensional detonation waves in Type Ia supernovae

The propagation of two-dimensional nuclear detonation waves in Type Ia supernovae is calculated from Huygens' principle and the resulting flow is then computed with a hydrodynamic code. This has the advantage that one can study asymmetric explosions using wave speeds determined from one-dimensional calculations which include very detailed nuclear chemistry. The method is applied to two cases, the one-dimensional versions of which have previously been considered by Nomoto. We find that the detonation wave forms a pair of cusps which are likely to have a significant effect on both the abundances and the final asymmetry of the expansion.