Signatures of delayed detonation, asymmetry, and electron capture in the mid-infrared spectra of supernovae 2003hv and 2005df

We present mid-infrared (5.2-15.2 μm) spectra of the Type la supernovae (SNe la) 2003hv and 2005df observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope. These are the first observed mid-infrared spectra of thermonuclear supernovae, and show strong emission from fine-structure lines of Ni, Co, S, and Ar. The detection of Ni emission in SN 2005df 135 days after the explosion provides direct observational evidence of high-density nuclear burning forming a significant amount of stable Ni in a SN Ia. The SN 2005df Ar lines also exhibit a two-pronged emission profile, implying that the Ar emission deviates significantly from spherical symmetry. The spectrum of SN 2003hv also shows signs of asymmetry, exhibiting blueshifted [Co III], which matches the blueshift of [Fe II ] lines in nearly coeval near-infrared spectra. Finally, local thermodynamic equilibrium abundance estimates for the yield of radioactive ⁵⁶Ni give M_56NiNi ≈ 0.5 M_⊙, for SN 2003hv, but only M_56Ni ≈ 0.13-0.22 M_⊙ for the apparently subluminous SN 2005df, supporting the notion that the luminosity of SNe la is primarily a function of the radioactive ⁵⁶Ni yield. The observed emission-line profiles in the SN 2005df spectrum indicate a chemically stratified ejecta structure, which matches the predictions of delayed detonation (DD) models, but is entirely incompatible with current three-dimensional deflagration models. Furthermore, the degree that this layering persists to the innermost regions of the supernova is difficult to explain even in a DD scenario, where the innermost ejecta are still the product of deflagration burning. Thus, while these results are roughly consistent with a delayed detonation, it is clear that a key piece of physics is still missing from our understanding of the earliest phases of SN Ia explosions.