Title: Collapse of Accreting White Dwarf to Form a Neutron Star
Abstract: Abstract In a close binary system with a primary star in the mass range 8-12 M ⊙ , the primary star leaves a white dwarf composed of 16 O, 20 Ne, and 24 Mg as a result of mass exchange. When the companion star, fills its Roche lobe, overflowing matter accretes onto the white dwarf. We have computed the evolution of such an accreting O-Ne-Mg white dwarf and found that electron captures on 24 Mg and 20 Ne trigger the collapse when the mass reaches 1.38 M ⊙ . As a result of the collapse, oxygen begins to deflagrate but the effects of electron captures dominate over the oxygen deflagration. The white dwarf collapses to form a neutron star.