Abstract
We present deep X-ray and radio observations of the fast blue optical transient (FBOT) AT 2020xnd/ZTF 20acigmel at
z
= 0.2433 from 13 days to 269 days after explosion. AT 2020xnd belongs to ...the category of optically luminous FBOTs with similarities to the archetypal event AT 2018cow. AT 2020xnd shows luminous radio emission reaching
L
ν
≈ 8 × 10
29
erg s
−1
Hz
−1
at 20 GHz and 75 days post-explosion, accompanied by luminous and rapidly fading soft X-ray emission peaking at
L
X
≈ 6 × 10
42
erg s
−1
. Interpreting the radio emission in the context of synchrotron radiation from the explosion’s shock interaction with the environment, we find that AT 2020xnd launched a high-velocity outflow (
v
∼ 0.1
c
–0.2
c
) propagating into a dense circumstellar medium (effective
M
̇
≈
10
−
3
M
⊙
yr
−1
for an assumed wind velocity of
v
w
= 1000 km s
−1
). Similar to AT 2018cow, the detected X-ray emission is in excess compared to the extrapolated synchrotron spectrum and constitutes a different emission component, possibly powered by accretion onto a newly formed black hole or neutron star. These properties make AT 2020xnd a high-redshift analog to AT 2018cow, and establish AT 2020xnd as the fourth member of the class of optically luminous FBOTs with luminous multiwavelength counterparts.
A large fraction of red-supergiant stars seem to be enshrouded by circumstellar material (CSM) at the time of explosion. Relative to explosions in a vacuum, this CSM causes both a luminosity boost at ...early times as well as the presence of symmetric emission lines with a narrow core and electron-scattering wings typical of type IIn supernovae (SNe). For this study, we performed radiation-hydrodynamics and radiative transfer calculations for a variety of CSM configurations (i.e., compact, extended, and detached) and documented the resulting ejecta and radiation properties. We find that models with a dense, compact, and massive CSM on the order of 0.5
M
⊙
can match the early luminosity boost of type II-P SNe but fail to produce type IIn-like spectral signatures (also known as “flash features”). These only arise if the photon mean free path in the CSM is large enough (i.e., if the density is low enough) to allow for a radiative precursor through a long-lived (i.e., a day to a week), radially extended unshocked optically thick CSM. The greater radiative losses and kinetic-energy extraction in this case boost the luminosity even for modest CSM masses – this boost comes with a delay for a detached CSM. The inadequate assumption of high CSM density, in which the shock travels essentially adiabatically, overestimates the CSM mass and associated mass-loss rate. Our simulations also indicate that type IIn-like spectral signatures last as long as there is optically-thick unshocked CSM. Constraining the CSM structure therefore requires a combination of light curves and spectra, rather than photometry alone. We emphasize that for a given total energy, the radiation excess fostered by the presence of CSM comes at the expense of kinetic energy, as evidenced by the disappearance of the fastest ejecta material and the accumulation of mass in a dense shell. Both effects can be constrained from spectra well after the interaction phase.
Abstract
We present panchromatic observations and modeling of supernova (SN) 2020tlf, the first normal Type II-P/L SN with confirmed precursor emission, as detected by the Young Supernova Experiment ...transient survey. Pre-SN activity was detected in
riz
-bands at −130 days and persisted at relatively constant flux until first light. Soon after discovery, “flash” spectroscopy of SN 2020tlf revealed narrow, symmetric emission lines that resulted from the photoionization of circumstellar material (CSM) shed in progenitor mass-loss episodes before explosion. Surprisingly, this novel display of pre-SN emission and associated mass loss occurred in a red supergiant (RSG) progenitor with zero-age main-sequence mass of only 10–12
M
⊙
, as inferred from nebular spectra. Modeling of the light curve and multi-epoch spectra with the non-LTE radiative-transfer code CMFGEN and radiation-hydrodynamical code HERACLES suggests a dense CSM limited to
r
≈ 10
15
cm, and mass-loss rate of 10
−2
M
⊙
yr
−1
. The luminous light-curve plateau and persistent blue excess indicates an extended progenitor, compatible with an RSG model with
R
⋆
= 1100
R
⊙
. Limits on the shock-powered X-ray and radio luminosity are consistent with model conclusions and suggest a CSM density of
ρ
< 2 × 10
−16
g cm
−3
for distances from the progenitor star of
r
≈ 5 × 10
15
cm, as well as a mass-loss rate of
M
̇
<
1.3
×
10
−
5
M
☉
yr
−
1
at larger distances. A promising power source for the observed precursor emission is the ejection of stellar material following energy disposition into the stellar envelope as a result of gravity waves emitted during either neon/oxygen burning or a nuclear flash from silicon combustion.
Abstract
We present multiwavelength observations of the Type II SN 2020pni. Classified at ∼1.3 days after explosion, the object showed narrow (FWHM intensity <250 km s
−1
) recombination lines of ...ionized helium, nitrogen, and carbon, as typically seen in flash-spectroscopy events. Using the non-LTE radiative transfer code CMFGEN to model our first high-resolution spectrum, we infer a progenitor mass-loss rate of
M
̇
=
(
3.5
–
5.3
)
×
10
−
3
M
⊙
yr
−1
(assuming a wind velocity of
v
w
= 200 km s
−1
), estimated at a radius of
R
in
= 2.5 × 10
14
cm. In addition, we find that the progenitor of SN 2020pni was enriched in helium and nitrogen (relative abundances in mass fractions of 0.30–0.40 and 8.2 × 10
−3
, respectively). Radio upper limits are also consistent with dense circumstellar material (CSM) and a mass-loss rate of
M
̇
>
5
×
10
−
4
M
☉
yr
−
1
. During the initial 4 days after first light, we also observe an increase in velocity of the hydrogen lines (from ∼250 to ∼1000 km s
−1
), suggesting complex CSM. The presence of dense and confined CSM, as well as its inhomogeneous structure, indicates a phase of enhanced mass loss of the progenitor of SN 2020pni during the last year before explosion. Finally, we compare SN 2020pni to a sample of other shock-photoionization events. We find no evidence of correlations among the physical parameters of the explosions and the characteristics of the CSM surrounding the progenitors of these events. This favors the idea that the mass loss experienced by massive stars during their final years could be governed by stochastic phenomena and that, at the same time, the physical mechanisms responsible for this mass loss must be common to a variety of different progenitors.
Abstract
We present the results from a multiyear radio campaign of the superluminous supernova (SLSN) SN 2017ens, which yielded the earliest radio detection of an SLSN to date at the age of ∼3.3 yr ...after explosion. SN 2017ens was not detected at radio frequencies in the first ∼300 days but reached
L
ν
≈ 10
28
erg s
−1
cm
−2
Hz
−1
at
ν
∼ 6 GHz, ∼1250 days post explosion. Interpreting the radio observations in the context of synchrotron radiation from the supernova shock interaction with the circumstellar medium (CSM), we infer an effective mass-loss rate
M
̇
≈
10
−
4
M
☉
yr
−
1
at
r
∼ 10
17
cm from the explosion’s site, for a wind speed of
v
w
= 50–60 km s
−1
as measured from optical spectra. These findings are consistent with the spectroscopic metamorphosis of SN 2017ens from hydrogen poor to hydrogen rich ∼190 days after explosion reported by Chen et al. SN 2017ens is thus an addition to the sample of hydrogen-poor massive progenitors that explode shortly after having lost their hydrogen envelope. The inferred circumstellar densities, implying a CSM mass up to ∼0.5
M
☉
, and low velocity of the ejection suggest that binary interactions (in the form of common-envelope evolution and subsequent envelope ejection) play a role in shaping the evolution of the stellar progenitors of SLSNe in the ≲500 yr preceding core collapse.
Abstract
We present extensive multifrequency Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the radio-bright supernova (SN) IIb SN 2004C that span ∼40–2793 ...days post-explosion. We interpret the temporal evolution of the radio spectral energy distribution in the context of synchrotron self-absorbed emission from the explosion’s forward shock as it expands in the circumstellar medium (CSM) previously sculpted by the mass-loss history of the stellar progenitor. VLBA observations and modeling of the VLA data point to a blastwave with average velocity ∼0.06
c
that carries an energy of ≈10
49
erg. Our modeling further reveals a flat CSM density profile
ρ
CSM
∝
R
−0.03±0.22
up to a break radius
R
br
≈ (1.96 ± 0.10) × 10
16
cm, with a steep density gradient following
ρ
CSM
∝
R
−2.3±0.5
at larger radii. We infer that the flat part of the density profile corresponds to a CSM shell with mass ∼0.021
M
☉
, and that the progenitor’s effective mass-loss rate varied with time over the range (50–500) × 10
−5
M
☉
yr
−1
for an adopted wind velocity
v
w
= 1000 km s
−1
and shock microphysical parameters
ϵ
e
= 0.1,
ϵ
B
= 0.01. These results add to the mounting observational evidence for departures from the traditional single-wind mass-loss scenarios in evolved, massive stars in the centuries leading up to core collapse. Potentially viable scenarios include mass loss powered by gravity waves and/or interaction with a binary companion.
Abstract
The modern study of astrophysical transients has been transformed by an exponentially growing volume of data. Within the last decade, the transient discovery rate has increased by a factor ...of ∼20, with associated survey data, archival data, and metadata also increasing with the number of discoveries. To manage the data at this increased rate, we require new tools. Here we present
YSE-PZ
, a transient survey management platform that ingests multiple live streams of transient discovery alerts, identifies the host galaxies of those transients, downloads coincident archival data, and retrieves photometry and spectra from ongoing surveys.
YSE-PZ
also presents a user with a range of tools to make and support timely and informed transient follow-up decisions. Those subsequent observations enhance transient science and can reveal physics only accessible with rapid follow-up observations. Rather than automating out human interaction,
YSE-PZ
focuses on accelerating and enhancing human decision making, a role we describe as empowering the human-in-the-loop. Finally,
YSE-PZ
is built to be flexibly used and deployed;
YSE-PZ
can support multiple, simultaneous, and independent transient collaborations through group-level data permissions, allowing a user to view the data associated with the union of all groups in which they are a member.
YSE-PZ
can be used as a local instance installed via Docker or deployed as a service hosted in the cloud. We provide
YSE-PZ
as an open-source tool for the community.
Abstract
We present the Young Supernova Experiment Data Release 1 (YSE DR1), comprised of processed multicolor PanSTARRS1
griz
and Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF)
gr
photometry of 1975 transients ...with host–galaxy associations, redshifts, spectroscopic and/or photometric classifications, and additional data products from 2019 November 24 to 2021 December 20. YSE DR1 spans discoveries and observations from young and fast-rising supernovae (SNe) to transients that persist for over a year, with a redshift distribution reaching
z
≈ 0.5. We present relative SN rates from YSE’s magnitude- and volume-limited surveys, which are consistent with previously published values within estimated uncertainties for untargeted surveys. We combine YSE and ZTF data, and create multisurvey SN simulations to train the ParSNIP and SuperRAENN photometric classification algorithms; when validating our ParSNIP classifier on 472 spectroscopically classified YSE DR1 SNe, we achieve 82% accuracy across three SN classes (SNe Ia, II, Ib/Ic) and 90% accuracy across two SN classes (SNe Ia, core-collapse SNe). Our classifier performs particularly well on SNe Ia, with high (>90%) individual completeness and purity, which will help build an anchor photometric SNe Ia sample for cosmology. We then use our photometric classifier to characterize our photometric sample of 1483 SNe, labeling 1048 (∼71%) SNe Ia, 339 (∼23%) SNe II, and 96 (∼6%) SNe Ib/Ic. YSE DR1 provides a training ground for building discovery, anomaly detection, and classification algorithms, performing cosmological analyses, understanding the nature of red and rare transients, exploring tidal disruption events and nuclear variability, and preparing for the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
Abstract
We present UV and/or optical observations and models of SN 2023ixf, a type II supernova (SN) located in Messier 101 at 6.9 Mpc. Early time (
flash
) spectroscopy of SN 2023ixf, obtained ...primarily at Lick Observatory, reveals emission lines of H
i
, He
i/ii
, C
iv
, and N
iii/iv/v
with a narrow core and broad, symmetric wings arising from the photoionization of dense, close-in circumstellar material (CSM) located around the progenitor star prior to shock breakout. These electron-scattering broadened line profiles persist for ∼8 days with respect to first light, at which time Doppler broadened the features from the fastest SN ejecta form, suggesting a reduction in CSM density at
r
≳ 10
15
cm. The early time light curve of SN 2023ixf shows peak absolute magnitudes (e.g.,
M
u
= −18.6 mag,
M
g
= −18.4 mag) that are ≳2 mag brighter than typical type II SNe, this photometric boost also being consistent with the shock power supplied from CSM interaction. Comparison of SN 2023ixf to a grid of light-curve and multiepoch spectral models from the non-LTE radiative transfer code
CMFGEN
and the radiation-hydrodynamics code
HERACLES
suggests dense, solar-metallicity CSM confined to
r
= (0.5–1) × 10
15
cm, and a progenitor mass-loss rate of
M
̇
=
10
−
2
M
⊙
yr
−1
. For the assumed progenitor wind velocity of
v
w
= 50 km s
−1
, this corresponds to enhanced mass loss (i.e.,
superwind
phase) during the last ∼3–6 yr before explosion.
Abstract
We present the Keck Infrared Transient Survey, a NASA Key Strategic Mission Support program to obtain near-infrared (NIR) spectra of astrophysical transients of all types, and its first data ...release, consisting of 105 NIR spectra of 50 transients. Such a data set is essential as we enter a new era of IR astronomy with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman). NIR spectral templates will be essential to search JWST images for stellar explosions of the first stars and to plan an effective Roman SN Ia cosmology survey, both key science objectives for mission success. Between 2022 February and 2023 July, we systematically obtained 274 NIR spectra of 146 astronomical transients, representing a significant increase in the number of available NIR spectra in the literature. Here, we describe the first release of data from the 2022A semester. We systematically observed three samples: a flux-limited sample that includes all transients <17 mag in a red optical band (usually ZTF
r
or ATLAS
o
bands); a volume-limited sample including all transients within redshift
z
< 0.01 (
D
≈ 50 Mpc); and an SN Ia sample targeting objects at phases and light-curve parameters that had scant existing NIR data in the literature. The flux-limited sample is 39% complete (60% excluding SNe Ia), while the volume-limited sample is 54% complete and is 79% complete to
z
= 0.005. Transient classes observed include common Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae, tidal disruption events, luminous red novae, and the newly categorized hydrogen-free/helium-poor interacting Type Icn supernovae. We describe our observing procedures and data reduction using
PypeIt
, which requires minimal human interaction to ensure reproducibility.
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