Spectra of Type Ia Supernovae from Double Degenerate Mergers

The merger of two white dwarfs (a.k.a. double degenerate merger) has of-ten been cited as a potential progenitor of type Ia supernovae. Here we combine population synthesis, merger and explosion models with radiation-hydrodynamics light-curve models to study the implications of such a progenitor scenario on the observed type Ia supernova population. Our standard model, assuming double degenerate mergers do produce thermonuclear explosions, produces supernova light-curves that are broader than the observed type Ia sample. In addition, w