ABSTRACT
Near-infrared (NIR) observations of normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) obtained between 150 and 500 d past maximum light reveal the existence of an extended plateau. Here, we present ...observations of the underluminous, 1991bg-like SN 2021qvv. Early, ground-based optical and NIR observations show that SN 2021qvv is similar to SN 2006mr, making it one of the dimmest, fastest evolving 1991bg-like SNe to date. Late-time (170–250 d) Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN 2021qvv reveal no sign of a plateau. An extrapolation of these observations backwards to earlier-phase NIR observations of SN 2006mr suggests the complete absence of an NIR plateau, at least out to 250 d. This absence may be due to a higher ionization state of the ejecta, as predicted by certain sub-Chandrasekhar-mass detonation models, or to the lower temperatures of the ejecta of 1991bg-like SNe, relative to normal SNe Ia, which might preclude their becoming fluorescent and shifting ultraviolet light into the NIR. This suggestion can be tested by acquiring NIR imaging of a sample of 1991bg-like SNe that covers the entire range from slowly evolving to fast-evolving events (0.2 ≲ sBV ≲ 0.6). A detection of the NIR plateau in slower evolving, hotter 1991bg-like SNe would provide further evidence that these SNe exist along a continuum with normal SNe Ia. Theoretical progenitor and explosion scenarios would then have to match the observed properties of both SN Ia subtypes.
ABSTRACT
We present an in-depth study of the late-time near-infrared plateau in Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), which occurs between 70 and 500 d. We double the existing sample of SNe Ia observed during ...the late-time near-infrared plateau with new observations taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, Gemini, New Technology Telescope, the 3.5-m Calar Alto Telescope, and the Nordic Optical Telescope. Our sample consists of 24 nearby SNe Ia at redshift < 0.025. We are able to confirm that no plateau exists in the Ks band for most normal SNe Ia. SNe Ia with broader optical light curves at peak tend to have a higher average brightness on the plateau in J and H, most likely due to a shallower decline in the preceding 100 d. SNe Ia that are more luminous at peak also show a steeper decline during the plateau phase in H. We compare our data to state-of-the-art radiative transfer models of nebular SNe Ia in the near-infrared. We find good agreement with the sub-Mch model that has reduced non-thermal ionization rates, but no physical justification for reducing these rates has yet been proposed. An analysis of the spectral evolution during the plateau demonstrates that the ratio of Fe ii to Fe iii contribution in a near-infrared filter determines the light curve evolution in said filter. We find that overluminous SNe decline slower during the plateau than expected from the trend seen for normal SNe Ia.
We present spectroscopic and photometric observations for the Type Ibn supernova (SN) dubbed PSN J07285387+3349106. Using data provided by amateur astronomers, we monitored the photometric rise of ...the SN to maximum light, occurred on 2015 February 18.8 ut (JDmax(V) = 245 7072.0 ± 0.8). PSN J07285387+3349106 exploded in the inner region of an infrared luminous galaxy, and is the most reddened SN Ibn discovered so far. We apply multiple methods to derive the total reddening to the SN, and determine a total colour excess E(B − V)tot = 0.99 ± 0.48 mag. Accounting for the reddening correction, which is affected by a large uncertainty, we estimate a peak absolute magnitude of M
V
= −20.30 ± 1.50. The spectra are dominated by continuum emission at early phases, and He i lines with narrow P-Cygni profiles are detected. We also identify weak Fe iii and N ii features. All these lines show an absorption component which is blueshifted by about 900–1000 km s−1. The spectra also show relatively broad He i line wings with low contrast, which extend to above 3000 km s−1. From about two weeks past maximum, broad lines of O i, Mg ii and the Ca ii near-infrared triplet are identified. The composition and the expansion velocity of the circumstellar material, and the presence of He i and α-elements in the SN ejecta indicate that PSN J07285387+3349106 was produced by the core collapse of a stripped-envelope star. We suggest that the precursor was WNE-type Wolf–Rayet star in its dense, He-rich circumstellar cocoon.
Abstract
We report the results of our follow-up campaign of the peculiar supernova ASASSN-15no, based on optical data covering ∼300 d of its evolution. Initially the spectra show a pure blackbody ...continuum. After few days, the HeI λλ 5876 transition appears with a P-Cygni profile and an expansion velocity of about 8700 km s−1. Fifty days after maximum, the spectrum shows signs typically seen in interacting supernovae. A broad (FWHM ∼ 8000 km s−1) Hα becomes more prominent with time until ∼150 d after maximum and quickly declines later on. At these phases Hαstarts to show an intermediate component, which together with the blue pseudo-continuum are clues that the ejecta begin to interact with the circumstellar medium (CSM). The spectra at the latest phases look very similar to the nebular spectra of stripped-envelope SNe. The early part (the first 40 d after maximum) of the bolometric curve, which peaks at a luminosity intermediate between normal and superluminous supernovae, is well reproduced by a model in which the energy budget is essentially coming from ejecta recombination and 56Ni decay. From the model, we infer a mass of the ejecta Mej = 2.6 M⊙; an initial radius of the photosphere R0 = 2.1 × 1014 cm; and an explosion energy Eexpl = 0.8 × 1051 erg. A possible scenario involves a massive and extended H-poor shell lost by the progenitor star a few years before explosion. The shell is hit, heated, and accelerated by the supernova ejecta. The accelerated shell+ejecta rapidly dilutes, unveiling the unperturbed supernova spectrum below. The outer ejecta start to interact with a H-poor external CSM lost by the progenitor system about 9–90 yr before the explosion.
ABSTRACT
We present the photometric and spectroscopic analysis of three Type II supernovae (SNe): 2014cx, 2014cy, and 2015cz. SN 2014cx is a conventional Type IIP with shallow slope (0.2 mag/50 d) ...and an atypical short plateau (∼86 d). SNe 2014cy and 2015cz show relatively large decline rates (0.88 and 1.64 mag/50 d, respectively) at early times before settling to the plateau phase, unlike the canonical Type IIP/L SN light curves. All of them are normal luminosity SN II with an absolute magnitude at mid-plateau of M$_{V,14\mathrm{ cx}}^{50}$=$-16.6\, \pm \, 0.4\, \rm {mag}$, M$_{V,14\mathrm{ cy}}^{50}$=$-16.5\, \pm \, 0.2\, \rm {mag}$, and M$_{V,15\mathrm{ cz}}^{50}$=$-17.4\, \pm \, 0.3\, \rm {mag}$. A relatively broad range of 56Ni masses is ejected in these explosions (0.027–0.070 M⊙). The spectra shows the classical evolution of SNe II, dominated by a blue continuum with broad H lines at early phases and narrower metal lines with P Cygni profiles during the plateau. High-velocity H i features are identified in the plateau spectra of SN 2014cx at 11 600 kms −1, possibly a sign of ejecta-circumstellar interaction. The spectra of SN 2014cy exhibit strong absorption profile of H i similar to normal luminosity events whereas strong metal lines akin to sub-luminous SNe. The analytical modelling of the bolometric light curve of the three events yields similar progenitor radii within errors (478, 507, and 660 R ⊙ for SNe 2014cx, 2014cy, and 2015cz, respectively), a range of ejecta masses (15.0, 22.2, and 20.6 M ⊙ for SNe 2014cx, 2014cy, and 2015cz), and a modest range of explosion energies (3.3–7.2 foe where 1 foe=10 51erg).
Abstract We present photometric and spectroscopic data for SN 2022joj, a nearby peculiar Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) with a fast decline rate (Δ m 15,B = 1.4 mag). SN 2022joj shows exceedingly red ...colors, with a value of approximately B − V ≈ 1.1 mag during its initial stages, beginning from 11 days before maximum brightness. As it evolves, the flux shifts toward the blue end of the spectrum, approaching B − V ≈ 0 mag around maximum light. Furthermore, at maximum light and beyond, the photometry is consistent with that of typical SNe Ia. This unusual behavior extends to its spectral characteristics, which initially displayed a red spectrum and later evolved to exhibit greater consistency with typical SNe Ia. Spectroscopically, we find strong agreement between SN 2022joj and double detonation models with white dwarf masses of around 1 M ⊙ and a thin He shell between 0.01 and 0.05 M ⊙ . Moreover, the early red colors are explained by line-blanketing absorption from iron peak elements created by the double detonation scenario in similar mass ranges. The nebular spectra in SN 2022joj deviate from expectations for double detonation, as we observe strong Fe iii emission instead of Ca ii lines as anticipated, though this is not as robust a prediction as early red colors and spectra. The fact that as He shells get thinner these SNe start to look more like normal SNe Ia raises the possibility that this is the triggering mechanism for the majority of SNe Ia, though evidence would be missed if the SNe are not observed early enough.
Abstract
We present the discovery and extensive follow-up of a remarkable fast-evolving optical transient, AT 2022aedm, detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial impact Last Alert Survey (ATLAS). In the ...ATLAS
o
band, AT 2022aedm exhibited a rise time of 9 ± 1 days, reaching a luminous peak with
M
g
≈ −22 mag. It faded by 2 mag in the
g
band during the next 15 days. These timescales are consistent with other rapidly evolving transients, though the luminosity is extreme. Most surprisingly, the host galaxy is a massive elliptical with negligible current star formation. Radio and X-ray observations rule out a relativistic AT 2018cow–like explosion. A spectrum in the first few days after explosion showed short-lived He
ii
emission resembling young core-collapse supernovae, but obvious broad supernova features never developed; later spectra showed only a fast-cooling continuum and narrow, blueshifted absorption lines, possibly arising in a wind with
v
≈ 2700 km s
−1
. We identify two further transients in the literature (Dougie in particular, as well as AT 2020bot) that share similarities in their luminosities, timescales, color evolution, and largely featureless spectra and propose that these may constitute a new class of transients: luminous fast coolers. All three events occurred in passive galaxies at offsets of ∼4–10 kpc from the nucleus, posing a challenge for progenitor models involving massive stars or black holes. The light curves and spectra appear to be consistent with shock breakout emission, though this mechanism is usually associated with core-collapse supernovae. The encounter of a star with a stellar-mass black hole may provide a promising alternative explanation.
ABSTRACT
The ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) photometric and optical spectroscopic observations of SN 2020acat covering ∼250 d after explosion are presented here. Using the fast rising ...photometric observations, spanning from the UV to NIR wavelengths, a pseudo-bolometric light curve was constructed and compared to several other well-observed Type IIb supernovae (SNe IIb). SN 2020acat displayed a very short rise time reaching a peak luminosity of $\mathrm{{\rm Log}_{10}}(L) = 42.49 \pm 0.17 \, \mathrm{erg \, s^{-1}}$ in only ∼14.6 ± 0.3 d. From modelling of the pseudo-bolometric light curve, we estimated a total mass of 56Ni synthesized by SN 2020acat of MNi = 0.13 ± 0.03 M⊙, with an ejecta mass of Mej = 2.3 ± 0.4 M⊙ and a kinetic energy of Ek = 1.2 ± 0.3 × 1051 erg. The optical spectra of SN 2020acat display hydrogen signatures well into the transitional period (≳ 100 d), between the photospheric and the nebular phases. The spectra also display a strong feature around 4900 Å that cannot be solely accounted for by the presence of the Fe ii 5018 line. We suggest that the Fe ii feature was augmented by He i 5016 and possibly by the presence of N ii 5005. From both photometric and spectroscopic analysis, we inferred that the progenitor of SN 2020acat was an intermediate-mass compact star with an MZAMS of 15–20 M⊙.
Abstract
We present multiwavelength photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2022jli, an unprecedented Type Ic supernova discovered in the galaxy NGC 157 at a distance of ≈ 23 Mpc. The multiband light ...curves reveal many remarkable characteristics. Peaking at a magnitude of
g
= 15.11 ± 0.02, the high-cadence photometry reveals periodic undulations of 12.5 ± 0.2 days superimposed on the 200-day supernova decline. This periodicity is observed in the light curves from nine separate filter and instrument configurations with peak-to-peak amplitudes of ≃ 0.1 mag. This is the first time that repeated periodic oscillations, over many cycles, have been detected in a supernova light curve. SN 2022jli also displays an extreme early excess that fades over ≈25 days, followed by a rise to a peak luminosity of
L
opt
= 10
42.1
erg s
−1
. Although the exact explosion epoch is not constrained by data, the time from explosion to maximum light is ≳ 59 days. The luminosity can be explained by a large ejecta mass (
M
ej
≈ 12 ± 6
M
⊙
) powered by
56
Ni, but we find it difficult to quantitatively model the early excess with circumstellar interaction and cooling. Collision between the supernova ejecta and a binary companion is a possible source of this emission. We discuss the origin of the periodic variability in the light curve, including interaction of the SN ejecta with nested shells of circumstellar matter and neutron stars colliding with binary companions.