Abstract
We present high-cadence, comprehensive data on the nearby (
D
≃ 33 Mpc) Type II supernova (SN II) 2017ahn, discovered within about one day of the explosion, from the very early phases after ...explosion to the nebular phase. The observables of SN 2017ahn show a significant evolution over the ≃470 days of our follow-up campaign, first showing prominent, narrow Balmer lines and other high-ionization features purely in emission (i.e., flash spectroscopy features), which progressively fade and lead to a spectroscopic evolution similar to that of more canonical SNe II. Over the same period, the decline of the light curves in all bands is fast, resembling the photometric evolution of linearly declining H-rich core-collapse SNe. The modeling of the light curves and early flash spectra suggests that a complex circumstellar medium surrounds the progenitor star at the time of explosion, with a first dense shell produced during the very late stages of its evolution that is swept up by the rapidly expanding ejecta within the first ∼6 days of the SN evolution, while signatures of interaction are observed also at later phases. Hydrodynamical models support the scenario in which linearly declining SNe II are predicted to arise from massive yellow super- or hypergiants depleted of most of their hydrogen layers.
We present a study of the H ii regions in the galaxy NGC 6754 from a two pointing mosaic comprising 197 637 individual spectra, using integral field spectroscopy recently acquired with the MUSE ...instrument during its Science Verification program. The data cover the entire galaxy out to ~2 effective radii (re), sampling its morphological structures with unprecedented spatial resolution for a wide-field Integral Field Unit. A complete census of the H ii regions limited by the atmospheric seeing conditions was derived, comprising 396 individual ionized sources. This is one of the largest and most complete catalogues of H ii regions with spectroscopic information in a single galaxy. We use this catalogue to derive the radial abundance gradient in this SBb galaxy, finding a negative gradient with a slope consistent with the characteristic value for disk galaxies recently reported. The large number of H ii regions allows us to estimate the typical mixing scale length (rmix ~ 0.4re), which sets strong constraints on the proposed mechanisms for metal mixing in disk galaxies, like radial movements associated with bars and spiral arms. We found evidence of an azimuthal variation in the oxygen abundance that may be connected with the radial migration. These results illustrate the unique capabilities of MUSE for the study of the enrichment mechanisms in Local Universe galaxies.
We present a comprehensive data set of supernova (SN) 2016adj located within the central dust lane of Centaurus A. SN 2016adj is significantly reddened and after correcting the peak apparent B -band ...magnitude ( m B = 17.48 ± 0.05) for Milky Way reddening and our inferred host-galaxy reddening parameters (i.e., R V host = 5.7±0.7 and A V host = 6.3 ± 0.2 mag), we estimated it reached a peak absolute magnitude of M B ∼ −18. A detailed inspection of the optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic time series reveals a carbon-rich SN Ic and not a SN Ib/IIb as previously suggested in the literature. The NIR spectra show prevalent carbon-monoxide formation occurring already by +41 days past B -band maximum, which is ≈11 days earlier than previously reported in the literature for this object. Interestingly, around two months past maximum, the NIR spectrum of SN 2016adj begins to exhibit H features, with a +97 days medium resolution spectrum revealing both Paschen and Bracket lines with absorption minima of ∼2000 km s −1 , full-width-half-maximum emission velocities of ∼1000 km s −1 , and emission line ratios consistent with a dense emission region. We speculate that these attributes are due to a circumstellar interaction (CSI) between the rapidly expanding SN ejecta and a H-rich shell of material that formed during the pre-SN phase. A bolometric light curve was constructed and a semi-analytical model fit suggests the SN synthesized 0.5 M ⊙ of 56 Ni and ejected 4.7 M ⊙ of material, though these values should be approached with caution given the large uncertainties associated with the adopted reddening parameters and known light echo emission. Finally, inspection of the Hubble Space Telescope archival data yielded no progenitor detection.
We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the Type Icn supernova (SN) 2021ckj. This rare type of SNe is characterized by a rapid evolution and high peak luminosity as well as narrow ...lines of highly ionized carbon at early phases, implying an interaction with hydrogen- and helium-poor circumstellar matter (CSM). SN 2021ckj reached a peak brightness of ∼ − 20 mag in the optical bands, with a rise time and a time above half maximum of ∼4 and ∼10 days, respectively, in the g and cyan bands. These features are reminiscent of those of other Type Icn SNe (SNe 2019hgp, 2021csp, and 2019jc), with the photometric properties of SN 2021ckj being almost identical to those of SN 2021csp. Spectral modeling of SN 2021ckj reveals that its composition is dominated by oxygen, carbon, and iron group elements, and the photospheric velocity at peak is ∼10 000 km s−1. Modeling the spectral time series of SN 2021ckj suggests aspherical SN ejecta. From the light curve (LC) modeling applied to SNe 2021ckj, 2019hgp, and 2021csp, we find that the ejecta and CSM properties of Type Icn SNe are diverse. SNe 2021ckj and 2021csp likely have two ejecta components (an aspherical high-energy component and a spherical standard-energy component) with a roughly spherical CSM, while SN 2019hgp can be explained by a spherical ejecta-CSM interaction alone. The ejecta of SNe 2021ckj and 2021csp have larger energy per ejecta mass than the ejecta of SN 2019hgp. The density distribution of the CSM is similar in these three SNe, and is comparable to those of Type Ibn SNe. This may imply that the mass-loss mechanism is common between Type Icn (and also Type Ibn) SNe. The CSM masses of SN 2021ckj and SN 2021csp are higher than that of SN 2019hgp, although all these values are within those seen in Type Ibn SNe. The early spectrum of SN 2021ckj shows narrow emission lines from C II and C III, without a clear absorption component, in contrast with that observed in SN 2021csp. The similarity of the emission components of these lines implies that the emitting regions of SNe 2021ckj and 2021csp have similar ionization states, and thus suggests that they have similar properties as the ejecta and CSM, which is also inferred from the LC modeling. Taking the difference in the strength of the absorption features into account, this heterogeneity may be attributed to viewing angle effects in otherwise common aspherical ejecta. In particular, in this scenario SN 2021ckj is observed from the polar direction, while SN 2021csp is seen from an off-axis direction. This is also supported by the fact that the late-time spectra of SNe 2021ckj and 2021csp show similar features but with different line velocities.
ABSTRACT
We present observations of the unusually luminous Type II supernova (SN) 2016gsd. With a peak absolute magnitude of V = −19.95 ± 0.08, this object is one of the brightest Type II SNe, and ...lies in the gap of magnitudes between the majority of Type II SNe and the superluminous SNe. Its light curve shows little evidence of the expected drop from the optically thick phase to the radioactively powered tail. The velocities derived from the absorption in H α are also unusually high with the blue edge tracing the fastest moving gas initially at 20 000 km s−1, and then declining approximately linearly to 15 000 km s−1 over ∼100 d. The dwarf host galaxy of the SN indicates a low-metallicity progenitor which may also contribute to the weakness of the metal lines in its spectra. We examine SN 2016gsd with reference to similarly luminous, linear Type II SNe such as SNe 1979C and 1998S, and discuss the interpretation of its observational characteristics. We compare the observations with a model produced by the jekyll code and find that a massive star with a depleted and inflated hydrogen envelope struggles to reproduce the high luminosity and extreme linearity of SN 2016gsd. Instead, we suggest that the influence of interaction between the SN ejecta and circumstellar material can explain the majority of the observed properties of the SN. The high velocities and strong H α absorption present throughout the evolution of the SN may imply a circumstellar medium configured in an asymmetric geometry.
We present multiband photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2018cuf, a Type IIP ("P" for plateau) supernova (SN) discovered by the Distance Less Than 40 Mpc Survey within 24 hr of explosion. SN 2018cuf ...appears to be a typical SN IIP, with an absolute V-band magnitude of −16.73 0.32 at maximum and a decline rate of 0.21 0.05 mag/50 days during the plateau phase. The distance of the object was constrained to be 41.8 5.7 Mpc by using the expanding photosphere method. We used spectroscopic and photometric observations from the first year after the explosion to constrain the progenitor of SN 2018cuf using both hydrodynamic light-curve modeling and late-time spectroscopic modeling. The progenitor of SN 2018cuf was most likely a red supergiant of about 14.5 M that produced 0.04 0.01 M 56Ni during the explosion. We also found ∼0.07 M of circumstellar material (CSM) around the progenitor is needed to fit the early light curves, where the CSM may originate from presupernova outbursts. During the plateau phase, high-velocity features at ∼11,000 km s−1 were detected in both the optical and near-infrared spectra, supporting the possibility that the ejecta were interacting with some CSM. A very shallow slope during the postplateau phase was also observed, and it is likely due to a low degree of nickel mixing or the relatively high nickel mass in the SN.
Abstract
The enigmatic near-infrared transient VVV-WIT-06 underwent a large-amplitude eruption of unclear origin in 2013 July. Based on its light curve properties and late-time post-outburst spectra, ...various possibilities have been proposed in the literature for the origin of the object, namely a Type I supernova, a classical nova (CN), or a violent stellar merger event. We show that, of these possibilities, an origin in a CN outburst convincingly explains the observed properties of VVV-WIT-06. We estimate that the absolute
K
-band magnitude of the nova at maximum was
M
k
= −8.2 ± 0.5, its distance
d
= 13.35 ± 2.18 kpc, and the extinction
A
v
= 15.0 ± 0.55 mag.