Nebular spectra of pair-instability supernovae Jerkstrand, A; Smartt, S. J; Heger, A
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
01/2016, Letnik:
455, Številka:
3
Journal Article
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If very massive stars (M ≳ 100 M⊙) can form and avoid too strong mass-loss during their evolution, they are predicted to explode as pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). One critical test for ...candidate events is whether their nucleosynthesis yields and internal ejecta structure, being revealed through nebular-phase spectra at t ≳ 1 yr, match those of model predictions. Here, we compute theoretical spectra based on model PISN ejecta at 1–3 yr post-explosion to allow quantitative comparison with observations. The high column densities of PISNe lead to complete gamma-ray trapping for t ≳ 2 yr which, combined with fulfilled conditions of steady state, leads to bolometric supernova luminosities matching the 56Co decay. Most of the gamma-rays are absorbed by the deep-lying iron and silicon/sulphur layers. The ionization balance shows a predominantly neutral gas state, which leads to emission lines of Fe i, Si i, and S i. For low-mass PISNe, the metal core expands slowly enough to produce a forest of distinct lines, whereas high-mass PISNe expand faster and produce more featureless spectra. Line blocking is complete below ∼5000 Å for several years, and the model spectra are red. The strongest line is typically Ca ii λλ7291, 7323, one of few lines from ionized species. We compare our models with proposed PISN candidates SN 2007bi and PTF12dam, finding discrepancies for several key observables and thus no support for a PISN interpretation. We discuss distinct spectral features predicted by the models, and the possibility of detecting pair-instability explosions among non-superluminous supernovae.
ABSTRACT
This work examines the relationships between the properties (flux ratios, full width at half-maximum velocities) of the O i λλ6300, 6364, Ca ii λλ7291, 7323, and the Ca ii near-infrared ...triplet, emission lines of a large sample of core-collapse supernovas (SNe) and Ca-rich transients (509 spectra of 86 transients, of which 10 transients are Ca-rich events). Line-flux ratios as a function of time were investigated with differences identified between the transient classes, in particular the Type II SNe were found to have distinct line-flux ratios compared to stripped-envelope (SE) SNe. No correlation was found between the Ca ii/O i flux ratios of SE-SNe and their ejecta masses and kinetic energies (as measured from light-curve modelling), suggesting that there may be a contribution from an additional power source in more luminous SE-SNe. We found that the mean characteristic width of the Ca ii emission line is less than the O i emission line for all SN types, indicating that the Ca ii emission typically originates from deeper in the ejecta than O i. This is in some tension with standard models for emission in Type II SNe. The emission line properties of Type II SNe were also compared to theoretical models and found to favour lower mass tracks (MZAMS< 15 M⊙), with no evidence found for significant mixing of 56Ni into the H envelope nor Ca mixed into the O shell. The flux ratios of some superluminous SNe were found to be similar to those of SE-SNe when scaling to account for their longer rise times was applied (although we caution the sample size is small).
SN 2004et is one of the nearest and best-observed Type IIP supernovae, with a progenitor detection as well as good photometric and spectroscopic observational coverage well into the nebular phase. ...Based on nucleosynthesis from stellar evolution/explosion models we apply spectral modeling to analyze its 140−700 day evolution from ultraviolet to mid-infrared. We find a MZAMS = 15 M⊙ progenitor star (with an oxygen mass of 0.8 M⊙) to satisfactorily reproduce O i λλ6300, 6364 and other emission lines of carbon, sodium, magnesium, and silicon, while 12 M⊙ and 19 M⊙ models under- and overproduce most of these lines, respectively. This result is in fair agreement with the mass derived from the progenitor detection, but in disagreement with hydrodynamical modeling of the early-time light curve. From modeling of the mid-infrared iron-group emission lines, we determine the density of the “Ni-bubble” to ρ(t) ≃ 7 × 10-14 × (t/100 d)-3 g cm-3, corresponding to a filling factor of f = 0.15 in the metal core region (V = 1800 km s-1). We also confirm that silicate dust, CO, and SiO emission are all present in the spectra.
We present nebular-phase optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the Type IIP supernova SN 2012aw combined with non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer calculations applied to ejecta ...from stellar evolution/explosion models. Our spectral synthesis models generally show good agreement with the ejecta from a M
ZAMS = 15 M progenitor star. The emission lines of oxygen, sodium, and magnesium are all consistent with the nucleosynthesis in a progenitor in the 14-18 M range. We also demonstrate how the evolution of the oxygen cooling lines of O i λ5577, O i λ6300, and O i λ6364 can be used to constrain the mass of oxygen in the non-molecularly cooled ashes to <1 M, independent of the mixing in the ejecta. This constraint implies that any progenitor model of initial mass greater than 20 M would be difficult to reconcile with the observed line strengths. A stellar progenitor of around M
ZAMS = 15 M can consistently explain the directly measured luminosity of the progenitor star, the observed nebular spectra, and the inferred pre-supernova mass-loss rate. We conclude that there is still no convincing example of a Type IIP supernova showing the nucleosynthesis products expected from an M
ZAMS > 20 M progenitor.
ABSTRACT Nebular-phase observations and spectral models of Type Ic superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) are presented. LSQ14an and SN 2015bn both display late-time spectra similar to galaxy-subtracted ...spectra of SN 2007bi, and the class shows strong similarity with broad-lined SNe Ic such as SN 1998bw. Near-infrared observations of SN 2015bn show a strong Ca ii triplet, O i 9263, O i 1.13 m, and Mg i 1.50 m, but no distinct He, Si, or S emission. The high Ca ii NIR/Ca ii 7291, 7323 ratio of ∼2 indicates a high electron density of cm−3. Spectral models of oxygen-zone emission are investigated to put constraints on the emitting region. Models require M to produce enough O i 6300, 6364 luminosity, irrespective of the powering situation and the density. The high oxygen-zone mass, supported by high estimated magnesium masses, points to explosions of massive CO cores, requiring . Collisions of pair-instability pulsations do not provide enough mass to account for the emission. O ii and O iii lines emerge naturally in many models, which strengthens the identification of broad O ii 7320, 7330, O iii 4363, and O iii 4959, 5007 in some spectra. A small filling factor for the O/Mg zone is needed to produce enough luminosity in Mg i 4571, Mg i 1.504 m, and O i recombination lines, which shows that the ejecta is clumped. We review the constraints from the nebular spectral modeling in the context of the various scenarios proposed for SLSNe.
Context.
The inclusion of molecular physics is an important piece that tends to be missing from the puzzle when modeling the spectra of supernovae (SNe). Molecules have both a direct impact on the ...spectra, particularly in the infrared, and an indirect one as a result of their influence on certain physical conditions, such as temperature.
Aims.
In this paper, we aim to investigate molecular formation and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) cooling, with a particular focus on CO, the most commonly detected molecule in supernovae. We also aim to determine the dependency of supernova chemistry on physical parameters and the relative sensitivity to rate uncertainties.
Methods.
We implemented a chemical kinetic description of the destruction and formation of molecules into the SN spectral synthesis code
SUMO
. In addition, selected molecules were coupled into the full NLTE level population framework and, thus, we incorporated molecular NLTE cooling into the temperature equation. We produced a test model of the CO formation in SN 1987A between 150 and 600 days and investigated the sensitivity of the resulting molecular masses to the input parameters.
Results.
We find that there is a close inter-dependency between the thermal evolution and the amount of CO formed, mainly through an important temperature-sensitive CO destruction process with O
+
. After a few hundred days, CO completely dominates the cooling of the oxygen-carbon zone of the supernova which, therefore, contributes little optical emission. The uncertainty of the calculated CO mass scales approximately linearly with the typical uncertainty factor for individual rates. We demonstrate how molecular masses can potentially be used to constrain various physical parameters of the supernova.
Abstract
A large fraction of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), 30–50 per cent, are expected to originate from the low-mass end of progenitors with MZAMS = 8–12 M⊙. However, degeneracy effects make ...stellar evolution modelling of such stars challenging, and few predictions for their supernova light curves and spectra have been presented. Here, we calculate synthetic nebular spectra of a 9 M⊙ Fe CCSN model exploded with the neutrino mechanism. The model predicts emission lines with FWHM ∼ 1000 km s−1, including signatures from each deep layer in the metal core. We compare this model to the observations of the three subluminous IIP SNe with published nebular spectra; SN 1997D, SN 2005cs and SN 2008bk. The predictions of both line profiles and luminosities are in good agreement with SN 1997D and SN 2008bk. The close fit of a model with no tuning parameters provides strong evidence for an association of these objects with low-mass Fe CCSNe. For SN 2005cs, the interpretation is less clear, as the observational coverage ended before key diagnostic lines from the core had emerged. We perform a parametrized study of the amount of explosively made stable nickel, and find that none of these three SNe show the high 58Ni/56Ni ratio predicted by current models of electron capture SNe (ECSNe) and ECSN-like explosions. Combined with clear detection of lines from O and He shell material, these SNe rather originate from Fe core progenitors. We argue that the outcome of self-consistent explosion simulations of low-mass stars, which gives fits to many key observables, strongly suggests that the class of subluminous Type IIP SNe is the observational counterpart of the lowest mass CCSNe.
Abstract
The late-time spectra of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are powerful probes of the underlying physics of their explosions. We investigate the late-time optical and near-infrared spectra of ...seven SNe Ia obtained at the VLT with XShooter at >200 d after explosion. At these epochs, the inner Fe-rich ejecta can be studied. We use a line-fitting analysis to determine the relative line fluxes, velocity shifts, and line widths of prominent features contributing to the spectra (Fe ii, Ni ii, and Co iii). By focusing on Fe ii and Ni ii emission lines in the ∼7000–7500 Å region of the spectrum, we find that the ratio of stable Ni ii to mainly radioactively produced Fe ii for most SNe Ia in the sample is consistent with Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation explosion models, as well as sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosions that have metallicity values above solar. The mean measured Ni/Fe abundance of our sample is consistent with the solar value. The more highly ionized Co iii emission lines are found to be more centrally located in the ejecta and have broader lines than the Fe ii and Ni ii features. Our analysis also strengthens previous results that SNe Ia with higher
Si ii velocities at maximum light preferentially display blueshifted Fe ii 7155 Å lines at late times. Our combined results lead us to speculate that the majority of normal SN Ia explosions produce ejecta distributions that deviate significantly from spherical symmetry.
Supernovae provide environments with strong links to laboratory astrophysics. Diverse physical processes spanning from hot gas and semi-relativistic particles down to cold dusty clumps require ...extensive atomic data and understanding of processes across different physical regimes. The current status of modelling and analyzing supernova spectra is reviewed, with focus on recent results for diagnosing the production of oxygen and nickel.
Abstract
We present two hydrogen-rich superluminous supernovae (SLSNe): SN2103hx and PS15br. These objects, together with SN2008es, are the only SLSNe showing a distinct, broad H α feature during the ...photospheric phase; also, they show no sign of strong interaction between fast moving ejecta and circumstellar shells in their early spectra. Despite the fact that the peak luminosity of PS15br is fainter than that of the other two objects, the spectrophotometric evolution is similar to SN2103hx and different from any other supernova in a similar luminosity space. We group all of them as SLSNe II and hence they are distinct from the known class of SLSN IIn. Both transients show a strong, multicomponent H α emission after 200 d past maximum, which we interpret as an indication of the interaction of the ejecta with an asymmetric, clumpy circumstellar material. The spectra and photometric evolution of the two objects are similar to Type II supernovae, although they have much higher luminosity and evolve on slower time-scales. This is qualitatively similar to how SLSNe I compare with normal type Ic, in that the former are brighter and evolve more slowly. We apply a magnetar and an interaction semi-analytical code to fit the light curves of our two objects and SN2008es. The overall observational data set would tend to favour the magnetar, or central engine, model as the source of the peak luminosity, although the clear signature of late-time interaction indicates that interaction can play a role in the luminosity evolution of SLSNe II at some phases.
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