ABSTRACT We present ultraviolet through near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy of the host galaxies of all superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory prior to ...2013 and derive measurements of their luminosities, star formation rates, stellar masses, and gas-phase metallicities. We find that Type I (hydrogen-poor) SLSNe (SLSNe I) are found almost exclusively in low-mass ( ) and metal-poor (12 + log10O/H ) galaxies. We compare the mass and metallicity distributions of our sample to nearby galaxy catalogs in detail and conclude that the rate of SLSNe I as a fraction of all SNe is heavily suppressed in galaxies with metallicities . Extremely low metallicities are not required and indeed provide no further increase in the relative SLSN rate. Several SLSN I hosts are undergoing vigorous starbursts, but this may simply be a side effect of metallicity dependence: dwarf galaxies tend to have bursty star formation histories. Type II (hydrogen-rich) SLSNe (SLSNe II) are found over the entire range of galaxy masses and metallicities, and their integrated properties do not suggest a strong preference for (or against) low-mass/low-metallicity galaxies. Two hosts exhibit unusual properties: PTF 10uhf is an SLSN I in a massive, luminous infrared galaxy at redshift z = 0.29, while PTF 10tpz is an SLSN II located in the nucleus of an early-type host at z = 0.04.
SN2017egm is the closest (z = 0.03) H-poor superluminous supernova (SLSN-I) detected to date, and a rare example of an SLSN-I in a massive, metal-rich galaxy. We present the HST UV and optical ...spectra covering 1000-5500 , taken at +3 day relative to the peak. Our data reveal two absorption systems at redshifts matching the host galaxy NGC 3191 (z = 0.0307) and its companion galaxy (z = 0.0299) 73″ apart. Weakly damped Ly absorption lines are detected at these two redshifts, with H i column densities of (3.0 0.8) × 1019 and (3.7 0.9) × 1019 cm−2, respectively. This is an order of magnitude smaller than the H i column densities in the disks of nearby galaxies (>1010 M ) and suggests that SN2017egm is on the near side of NGC 3191 and has a low host extinction (E(B − V) ∼ 0.007). Using unsaturated metal absorption lines, we find that the host of SN2017egm probably has a solar or higher metallicity and is unlikely to be a dwarf companion to NGC 3191. Comparison of early-time UV spectra of SN2017egm, Gaia16apd, iPTF13ajg, and PTF12dam finds that the continuum at λ > 2800 is well fit by a blackbody, whereas the continuum at λ < 2800 is considerably below the model. The degree of UV suppression varies from source to source, with the 1400-2800 continuum flux ratio of 1.5 for Gaia16apd and 0.4 for iPTF13ajg. This cannot be explained by the differences in magnetar power or blackbody temperature. Finally, the UV spectra reveal a common set of seven broad absorption features and their equivalent widths are similar (within a factor of 2) among the four events.
Abstract
We present observations of two new hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSN-I), iPTF15esb and iPTF16bad, showing late-time H
α
emission with line luminosities of
erg s
−1
and velocity ...widths of (4000–6000) km s
−1
. Including the previously published iPTF13ehe, this makes up a total of three such events to date. iPTF13ehe is one of the most luminous and the slowest evolving SLSNe-I, whereas the other two are less luminous and fast decliners. We interpret this as a result of the ejecta running into a neutral H-shell located at a radius of ∼10
16
cm. This implies that violent mass loss must have occurred several decades before the supernova explosion. Such a short time interval suggests that eruptive mass loss could be common shortly before core collapse, and more importantly helium is unlikely to be completely stripped off the progenitor and could be present in the ejecta. It is a mystery why helium features are not detected, even though nonthermal energy sources, capable of ionizing He, may exist as suggested by the O
ii
absorption series in the early-time spectra. Our late-time spectra (+240 days) appear to have intrinsically lower O
i
6300 Å luminosities than that of SN2015bn and SN2007bi, which is possibly an indication of less oxygen (<10
M
⊙
). The blueshifted H
α
emission relative to the hosts for all three events may be in tension with the binary model proposed for iPTF13ehe. Finally, iPTF15esb has a peculiar light curve (LC) with three peaks separated from one another by ∼22 days. The LC undulation is stronger in bluer bands. One possible explanation is ejecta-circumstellar medium interaction.
Abstract
We present a search for optical bursts from the repeating fast radio burst FRB 121102 using simultaneous observations with the high-speed optical camera ULTRASPEC on the 2.4-m Thai National ...Telescope and radio observations with the 100-m Effelsberg Radio Telescope. A total of 13 radio bursts were detected, but we found no evidence for corresponding optical bursts in our 70.7-ms frames. The 5σ upper limit to the optical flux density during our observations is 0.33 mJy at 767 nm. This gives an upper limit for the optical burst fluence of 0.046 Jy ms, which constrains the broad-band spectral index of the burst emission to α ≤ −0.2. Two of the radio pulses are separated by just 34 ms, which may represent an upper limit on a possible underlying periodicity (a rotation period typical of pulsars), or these pulses may have come from a single emission window that is a small fraction of a possible period.
Gravitational waves were discovered with the detection of binary black-hole mergers and they should also be detectable from lower-mass neutron-star mergers. These are predicted to eject material rich ...in heavy radioactive isotopes that can power an electromagnetic signal. This signal is luminous at optical and infrared wavelengths and is called a kilonova. The gravitational-wave source GW170817 arose from a binary neutron-star merger in the nearby Universe with a relatively well confined sky position and distance estimate. Here we report observations and physical modelling of a rapidly fading electromagnetic transient in the galaxy NGC 4993, which is spatially coincident with GW170817 and with a weak, short γ-ray burst. The transient has physical parameters that broadly match the theoretical predictions of blue kilonovae from neutron-star mergers. The emitted electromagnetic radiation can be explained with an ejected mass of 0.04 ± 0.01 solar masses, with an opacity of less than 0.5 square centimetres per gram, at a velocity of 0.2 ± 0.1 times light speed. The power source is constrained to have a power-law slope of -1.2 ± 0.3, consistent with radioactive powering from r-process nuclides. (The r-process is a series of neutron capture reactions that synthesise many of the elements heavier than iron.) We identify line features in the spectra that are consistent with light r-process elements (atomic masses of 90-140). As it fades, the transient rapidly becomes red, and a higher-opacity, lanthanide-rich ejecta component may contribute to the emission. This indicates that neutron-star mergers produce gravitational waves and radioactively powered kilonovae, and are a nucleosynthetic source of the r-process elements.
A core-collapse (CC) supernova (SN) of Type IIn is dominated by the interaction of SN ejecta with the circumstellar medium (CSM). Some SNe IIn (e.g. SN 2006jd) have episodes of re-brightening ...(“bumps”) in their light curves. We present iPTF13z, a Type IIn SN discovered on 2013 February 1 by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF). This SN showed at least five bumps in its declining light curve between 130 and 750 days after discovery. We analyse this peculiar behaviour and try to infer the properties of the CSM, of the SN explosion, and the nature of the progenitor star. We obtained multi-band optical photometry for over 1000 days after discovery with the P48 and P60 telescopes at Palomar Observatory. We obtained low-resolution optical spectra during the same period. We did an archival search for progenitor outbursts. We analyse the photometry and the spectra, and compare iPTF13z to other SNe IIn. In particular we derive absolute magnitudes, colours, a pseudo-bolometric light curve, and the velocities of the different components of the spectral lines. A simple analytical model is used to estimate the properties of the CSM. iPTF13z had a light curve peaking at Mr ≲ − 18.3 mag. The five bumps during its decline phase had amplitudes ranging from 0.4 to 0.9 mag and durations between 20 and 120 days. The most prominent bumps appeared in all the different optical bands, when covered. The spectra of this SN showed typical SN IIn characteristics, with emission lines of Hα (with broad component FWHM ~ 103 − 104 km s-1 and narrow component FWHM ~ 102 km s-1) and He i, but also with Fe ii, Ca ii, Na i D and Hβ P Cygni profiles (with velocities of ~ 103km s-1). A pre-explosion outburst was identified lasting ≳ 50 days, with Mr ≈ − 15 mag around 210 days before discovery. Large, variable progenitor mass-loss rates (≳0.01M⊙ yr-1) and CSM densities (≳10-16 g cm-3) are derived. The SN was hosted by a metal-poor dwarf galaxy at redshift z = 0.0328. We suggest that the light curve bumps of iPTF13z arose from SN ejecta interacting with denser regions in the CSM, possibly produced by the eruptions of a luminous blue variable progenitor star.
Motivated by the anomalous dust-to-metal ratios derived in the literature for gamma -ray burst (GRB) damped Lyman- alpha absorbers (DLAs), we measure these ratios using the dust-depletion pattern ...observed in UV/optical afterglow spectra associated with the interstellar medium (ISM) at the GRB host-galaxy redshifts. Our sample consists of 20 GRB absorbers and a comparison sample of 72 DLAs toward quasars (QSOs) with redshift 1.2 < z < 4.0 and down to Z = 0.002 Z# metallicities. The dust-to-metal ratio in QSO- and GRB-DLAs increases both with metallicity and metal column density, spanning ~10-110% of the Galactic value and pointing to a nonuniversal dust-to-metal ratio. The dust extinction AV increases steeply with the column density of iron in dust, N(Fe)dust, calculated from relative metal abundances, confirming that dust extinction is mostly occurring in the host galaxy ISM. Most GRB-DLAs display log N(Fe)dust > 14.7, above which several QSO-DLAs reveal molecular hydrogen, making GRB-DLAs promising candidates for molecular detection and study.
iPTF13ehe is a hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova (SLSN) at z = 0.3434, with a slow-evolving light curve and spectral features similar to SN2007bi. It rises in 83–148 days to reach a peak ...bolometric luminosity of ~1.3 × 1044 erg s-1, then decays slowly at 0.015 mag day-1. The measured ejecta velocity is ~ 13,000 km s-1. The inferred explosion characteristics, such as the ejecta mass (70–220 M⊙), and the total radiative and kinetic energy (Erad ~ 1051 erg, Ekin ~ 2 × 1053 erg), are typical of slow-evolving H-poor SLSN events. However, the late-time spectrum taken at +251 days (rest, post-peak) reveals a Balmer Hα emission feature with broad and narrow components, which has never been detected before among other H-poor SLSNe. The broad component has a velocity width of ~4500 km s-1 and a ~300 km s-1 blueward shift relative to the narrow component. In this paper, we interpret this broad Hα emission with a luminosity of ~2 × 1041 erg s-1 as resulting from the interaction between the supernova ejecta and a discrete H-rich shell, located at a distance of ~4 × 1016 cm from the explosion site. This interaction causes the rest-frame r-band LC to brighten at late times. The fact that the late-time spectra are not completely absorbed by the shock-ionized H-shell implies that its Thomson scattering optical depth is likely ≤1, thus setting upper limits on the shell mass ≤30 M⊙. Of the existing models, a Pulsational Pair Instability supernova model can naturally explain the observed 30 M⊙ H-shell, ejected from a progenitor star with an initial mass of (95–150) M⊙ about 40 years ago. Finally, we estimate that at least ~15% of all SLSNe-I may have late-time Balmer emission lines.
The explosive fate of massive Wolf-Rayet stars (WRSs) is a key open question in stellar physics. An appealing option is that hydrogen-deficient WRSs are the progenitors of some hydrogen-poor ...supernova explosions of types IIb, Ib and Ic (ref. 2). A blue object, having luminosity and colours consistent with those of some WRSs, has recently been identified in pre-explosion images at the location of a supernova of type Ib (ref. 3), but has not yet been conclusively determined to have been the progenitor. Similar work has so far only resulted in non-detections. Comparison of early photometric observations of type Ic supernovae with theoretical models suggests that the progenitor stars had radii of less than 10(12) centimetres, as expected for some WRSs. The signature of WRSs, their emission line spectra, cannot be probed by such studies. Here we report the detection of strong emission lines in a spectrum of type IIb supernova 2013cu (iPTF13ast) obtained approximately 15.5 hours after explosion (by 'flash spectroscopy', which captures the effects of the supernova explosion shock breakout flash on material surrounding the progenitor star). We identify Wolf-Rayet-like wind signatures, suggesting a progenitor of the WN(h) subclass (those WRSs with winds dominated by helium and nitrogen, with traces of hydrogen). The extent of this dense wind may indicate increased mass loss from the progenitor shortly before its explosion, consistent with recent theoretical predictions.
ABSTRACT
Much of what is known of the chemical composition of the universe is based on emission line spectra from star-forming galaxies. Emission-based inferences are, nevertheless, model-dependent ...and they are dominated by light from luminous star-forming regions. An alternative and sensitive probe of the metallicity of galaxies is through absorption lines imprinted on the luminous afterglow spectra of long gamma ray bursts (GRBs) from neutral material within their host galaxy. We present results from a JWST/NIRSpec programme to investigate for the first time the relation between the metallicity of neutral gas probed in absorption by GRB afterglows and the metallicity of the star-forming regions for the same host galaxy sample. Using an initial sample of eight GRB host galaxies at z = 2.1–4.7, we find a tight relation between absorption and emission line metallicities when using the recently proposed $\hat{R}$ metallicity diagnostic (±0.2 dex). This agreement implies a relatively chemically homogeneous multiphase interstellar medium and indicates that absorption and emission line probes can be directly compared. However, the relation is less clear when using other diagnostics, such as R23 and R3. We also find possible evidence of an elevated N/O ratio in the host galaxy of GRB 090323 at z = 4.7, consistent with what has been seen in other z > 4 galaxies. Ultimate confirmation of an enhanced N/O ratio and of the relation between absorption and emission line metallicities will require a more direct determination of the emission line metallicity via the detection of temperature-sensitive auroral lines in our GRB host galaxy sample.
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