| 1. |
- Agudo, I., et al.
(författare)
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Panning for gold, but finding helium: Discovery of the ultra-stripped supernova SN 2019wxt from gravitational-wave follow-up observations
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 675
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the results from multi-wavelength observations of a transient discovered during an intensive follow-up campaign of S191213g, a gravitational wave (GW) event reported by the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration as a possible binary neutron star merger in a low latency search. This search yielded SN 2019wxt, a young transient in a galaxy whose sky position (in the 80% GW contour) and distance (∼150 Mpc) were plausibly compatible with the localisation uncertainty of the GW event. Initially, the transienta's tightly constrained age, its relatively faint peak magnitude (Mi ∼ -16.7 mag), and the r-band decline rate of ∼1 mag per 5 days appeared suggestive of a compact binary merger. However, SN 2019wxt spectroscopically resembled a type Ib supernova, and analysis of the optical-near-infrared evolution rapidly led to the conclusion that while it could not be associated with S191213g, it nevertheless represented an extreme outcome of stellar evolution. By modelling the light curve, we estimated an ejecta mass of only ∼0.1 M·, with 56Ni comprising ∼20% of this. We were broadly able to reproduce its spectral evolution with a composition dominated by helium and oxygen, with trace amounts of calcium. We considered various progenitor channels that could give rise to the observed properties of SN 2019wxt and concluded that an ultra-stripped origin in a binary system is the most likely explanation. Disentangling genuine electromagnetic counterparts to GW events from transients such as SN 2019wxt soon after discovery is challenging: in a bid to characterise this level of contamination, we estimated the rate of events with a volumetric rate density comparable to that of SN 2019wxt and found that around one such event per week can occur within the typical GW localisation area of O4 alerts out to a luminosity distance of 500 Mpc, beyond which it would become fainter than the typical depth of current electromagnetic follow-up campaigns.
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| 2. |
- Aamer, Aysha, et al.
(författare)
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A precursor plateau and pre-maximum [O ii] emission in the superluminous SN2019szu : a pulsational pair-instability candidate
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 527:4, s. 11970-11995
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a detailed study on SN2019szu, a Type I superluminous supernova at z = 0.213 that displayed unique photometric and spectroscopic properties. Pan-STARRS and ZTF forced photometry show a pre-explosion plateau lasting ∼40 d. Unlike other SLSNe that show decreasing photospheric temperatures with time, the optical colours show an apparent temperature increase from ∼15 000 to ∼20 000 K over the first 70 d, likely caused by an additional pseudo-continuum in the spectrum. Remarkably, the spectrum displays a forbidden emission line (likely attributed to λλ7320,7330) visible 16 d before maximum light, inconsistent with an apparently compact photosphere. This identification is further strengthened by the appearances of [O III] λλ4959, 5007, and [O III] λ4363 seen in the spectrum. Comparing with nebular spectral models, we find that the oxygen line fluxes and ratios can be reproduced with ∼0.25 M⊙ of oxygen-rich material with a density of ∼10−15 g cm−3. The low density suggests a circumstellar origin, but the early onset of the emission lines requires that this material was ejected within the final months before the terminal explosion, consistent with the timing of the precursor plateau. Interaction with denser material closer to the explosion likely produced the pseudo-continuum bluewards of ∼5500 Å. We suggest that this event is one of the best candidates to date for a pulsational pair-instability ejection, with early pulses providing the low density material needed for the formation of the forbidden emission line, and collisions between the final shells of ejected material producing the pre-explosion plateau.
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| 3. |
- Bruch, Rachel J., et al.
(författare)
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The Prevalence and Influence of Circumstellar Material around Hydrogen-rich Supernova Progenitors
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 952:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Narrow transient emission lines (flash-ionization features) in early supernova (SN) spectra trace the presence of circumstellar material (CSM) around the massive progenitor stars of core-collapse SNe. The lines disappear within days after the SN explosion, suggesting that this material is spatially confined, and originates from enhanced mass loss shortly (months to a few years) prior to the explosion. We performed a systematic survey of H-rich (Type II) SNe discovered within less than 2 days from the explosion during the first phase of the Zwicky Transient Facility survey (2018–2020), finding 30 events for which a first spectrum was obtained within <2 days from the explosion. The measured fraction of events showing flash-ionization features (>36% at the 95% confidence level) confirms that elevated mass loss in massive stars prior to SN explosion is common. We find that SNe II showing flash-ionization features are not significantly brighter, nor bluer, nor more slowly rising than those without. This implies that CSM interaction does not contribute significantly to their early continuum emission, and that the CSM is likely optically thin. We measured the persistence duration of flash-ionization emission and find that most SNe show flash features for ≈5 days. Rarer events, with persistence timescales >10 days, are brighter and rise longer, suggesting these may be intermediate between regular SNe II and strongly interacting SNe IIn.
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| 4. |
- Charalampopoulos, P., et al.
(författare)
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AT 2020wey and the class of faint and fast tidal disruption events
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 673
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an analysis of the optical and ultraviolet properties of AT 2020wey, a faint and fast tidal disruption event (TDE) at 124.3 Mpc. The light curve of the object peaked at an absolute magnitude of M-g = 17.45 +/- 0.08 mag and a maximum bolometric luminosity of L-peak = (8.74 +/- 0.69) x 10(42) erg s 1, making it comparable to iPTF16fnl, the faintest TDE to date. The time from the last non-detection to the g-band peak is 23 +/- 2 days, and the rise is well described by L proportional to/ t(1.80 +/- 0.22). The decline of the bolometric light curve is described by a sharp exponential decay steeper than the canonical t(-5/3) power law, making AT 2020wey the fastest declining TDE to date. The multi-band light curve analysis shows first a slowly declining blackbody temperature of T-BB similar to 20 000 K around the peak brightness followed by a gradual temperature increase. The blackbody photosphere is found to expand at a constant velocity (similar to 1300 km s(-1)) to a value of R-BB similar to 3.5 x 10(14) cm before contracting rapidly. Multi-wavelength fits to the light curve indicate a complete disruption of a star of M-star = 0.11(-0.0)(+0.05) M-circle dot by a black hole of M-BH = 106(-0.09)(6.46+0.09) M-circle dot. Our spectroscopic dataset reveals broad (similar to 10(4) km s(-1)) Balmer and He II 4686 angstrom lines, with H alpha reaching its peak with a lag of similar to 8.2 days compared to the continuum. In contrast to previous faint and fast TDEs, there are no obvious Bowen fluorescence lines in the spectra of AT 2020wey. There is a strong correlation between the MOSFIT-derived black hole masses of TDEs and their decline rate. However, AT 2020wey is an outlier in this correlation, which could indicate that its fast early decline may be dictated by a different physical mechanism than fallback. After performing a volumetric correction to a sample of 30 TDEs observed between 2018 and 2020, we conclude that faint TDEs are not rare by nature; they should constitute up to similar to 50-60% of the entire population and their numbers could alleviate some of the tension between the observed and theoretical TDE rate estimates. We calculate the optical TDE luminosity function and we find a steep power-law relation dN=dL(g) proportional to / L-g(-2.36 +/- 0.16).
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| 5. |
- Chen, Z. H., et al.
(författare)
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The Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility Phase I Survey. I. Light Curves and Measurements
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 943:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Phase I operations, 78 hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) were discovered in less than 3 yr, constituting the largest sample from a single survey. This paper (Paper I) presents the data, including the optical/UV light curves and classification spectra, while Paper II in this series will focus on the detailed analysis of the light curves and modeling. Our photometry is primarily taken by ZTF in the g, r, and i bands, and with additional data from other ground-based facilities and Swift. The events of our sample cover a redshift range of z = 0.06 − 0.67, with a median and 1σ error (16% and 84% percentiles) of zmed=0.265. The peak luminosity covers −22.8 mag ≤ Mg,peak ≤ −19.8 mag, with a median value of -21.48. The light curves evolve slowly with a mean rest-frame rise time of trise = 41.9 ± 17.8 days. The luminosity and timescale distributions suggest that low-luminosity SLSNe-I with a peak luminosity ∼−20 mag or extremely fast-rising events (<10 days) exist, but are rare. We confirm previous findings that slowly rising SLSNe-I also tend to fade slowly. The rest-frame color and temperature evolution show large scatters, suggesting that the SLSN-I population may have diverse spectral energy distributions. The peak rest-frame color shows a moderate correlation with the peak absolute magnitude, i.e., brighter SLSNe-I tend to have bluer colors. With optical and UV photometry, we construct the bolometric luminosity and derive a bolometric correction relation that is generally applicable for converting g, r-band photometry to the bolometric luminosity for SLSNe-I.
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| 6. |
- Chen, Z. H., et al.
(författare)
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The Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility Phase I Survey. II. Light-curve Modeling and Characterization of Undulations
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 943:1, s. 42-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present analysis of the light curves (LCs) of 77 hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe I) discovered during the Zwicky Transient Facility Phase I operation. We find that the majority (67%) of the sample can be fit equally well by both magnetar and ejecta-circumstellar medium (CSM) interaction plus 56Ni decay models. This implies that LCs alone cannot unambiguously constrain the physical power sources for an SLSN I. However, 23% of the sample show inverted V-shape, steep-declining LCs or features of long rise and fast post-peak decay, which are better described by the CSM+Ni model. The remaining 10% of the sample favors the magnetar model. Moreover, our analysis shows that the LC undulations are quite common, with a fraction of 18%-44% in our gold sample. Among those strongly undulating events, about 62% of them are found to be CSM-favored, implying that the undulations tend to occur in the CSM-favored events. Undulations show a wide range in energy and duration, with median values (and 1σ errors) being as 1.7 % − 0.7 % + 1.5 % E rad , total and 28.8 − 9.1 + 14.4 days, respectively. Our analysis of the undulation timescales suggests that intrinsic temporal variations of the central engine can explain half of the undulating events, while CSM interaction (CSI) can account for the majority of the sample. Finally, all of the well-observed He-rich SLSNe Ib either have strongly undulating LCs or the LCs are much better fit by the CSM+Ni model. These observations imply that their progenitor stars have not had enough time to lose all of the He-envelopes before supernova explosions, and H-poor CSM are likely to present in these events.
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| 7. |
- Das, Kaustav K., et al.
(författare)
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Probing the Low-mass End of Core-collapse Supernovae Using a Sample of Strongly-stripped Calcium-rich Type IIb Supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 959:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The fate of stars in the zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) range ≈8–12 M⊙ is unclear. They could evolve to form white dwarfs or explode as electron-capture supernovae (SNe) or iron core-collapse SNe (CCSNe). Even though the initial mass function indicates that this mass range should account for over 40% of all CCSN progenitors, few have been observationally confirmed, likely due to the faintness and rapid evolution of some of these transients. In this paper, we present a sample of nine Ca-rich/O-poor Type IIb SNe detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility with progenitors likely in this mass range. These sources have a [Ca ii] λλ7291, 7324/[O i] λλ6300, 6364 flux ratio of ≳2 in their nebular spectra. Comparing the measured [O i] luminosity (≲1039 erg s−1) and derived oxygen mass (≈0.01 M⊙) with theoretical models, we infer that the progenitor ZAMS mass for these explosions is less than 12 M⊙. The ejecta properties (Mej ≲ 1 M⊙ and Ekin ∼ 1050 erg) are also consistent. The low ejecta mass of these sources indicates a class of strongly-stripped SNe that is a transition between the regular stripped-envelope SNe and ultra-stripped SNe. The progenitor could be stripped by a main-sequence companion and result in the formation of a neutron star−main sequence binary. Such binaries have been suggested to be progenitors of neutron star−white dwarf systems that could merge within a Hubble time and be detectable with LISA.
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| 8. |
- Dimitriadis, Georgios, et al.
(författare)
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SN 2021zny : an early flux excess combined with late-time oxygen emission suggests a double white dwarf merger event
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 521:1, s. 1162-1183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the ultraluminous and slowly evolving 03fg-like Type Ia SN 2021zny. Our observational campaign starts from similar to 5.3 h after explosion (making SN 2021zny one of the earliest observed members of its class), with dense multiwavelength coverage from a variety of ground-and space-based telescopes, and is concluded with a nebular spectrum similar to 10 months after peak brightness. SN 2021zny displayed several characteristics of its class, such as the peak brightness (M-B = -19.95 mag), the slow decline (delta m(15)(B) = 0.62 mag), the blue early-time colours, the low ejecta velocities, and the presence of significant unburned material above the photosphere. However, a fluxexcess for the first similar to 1.5 d after explosion is observed in four photometric bands, making SN 2021zny the third 03fg-like event with this distinct behaviour, while its + 313 d spectrum shows prominent [OI] lines, a very unusual characteristic of thermonuclear SNe. The early flux excess can be explained as the outcome of the interaction of the ejecta with similar to 0 . 04 M-? of H/He-poor circumstellar material at a distance of similar to 10(12) cm, while the low ionization state of the late-time spectrum re veals lo w abundances of stable iron-peak elements. All our observations are in accordance with a progenitor system of two carbon/oxygen white dwarfs that undergo a merger event, with the disrupted white dwarf ejecting carbon-rich circumstellar material prior to the primary white dwarf detonation.
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| 9. |
- Goobar, Ariel, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified standard candle SN Zwicky
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Astronomy. - 2397-3366. ; 7:9, s. 1098-1107
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Detecting gravitationally lensed supernovae is among the biggest challenges in astronomy. It involves a combination of two very rare phenomena: catching the transient signal of a stellar explosion in a distant galaxy and observing it through a nearly perfectly aligned foreground galaxy that deflects light towards the observer. Here we describe how high-cadence optical observations with the Zwicky Transient Facility, with its unparalleled large field of view, led to the detection of a multiply imaged type Ia supernova, SN Zwicky, also known as SN 2022qmx. Magnified nearly 25-fold, the system was found thanks to the standard candle nature of type Ia supernovae. High-spatial-resolution imaging with the Keck telescope resolved four images of the supernova with very small angular separation, corresponding to an Einstein radius of only θE = 0.167″ and almost identical arrival times. The small θE and faintness of the lensing galaxy are very unusual, highlighting the importance of supernovae to fully characterize the properties of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses, including the impact of galaxy substructures.
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| 10. |
- Harvey, L., et al.
(författare)
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Early-time spectroscopic modelling of the transitional Type Ia Supernova 2021rhu with tardis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 522:3, s. 4444-4467
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An open question in SN Ia research is where the boundary lies between 'normal' Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that are used in cosmological measurements and those that sit off the Phillips relation. We present the spectroscopic modelling of one such '86G-like' transitional SN Ia, SN 2021rhu, that has recently been employed as a local Hubble Constant calibrator using a tip of the red-giant branch measurement. We detail its modelling from -12 d until maximum brightness using the radiative-transfer spectral-synthesis code tardis. Please check and correct this paper accordingly. We base our modelling on literature delayed-detonation and deflagration models of Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, as well as the double-detonation models of sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs. We present a new method for 'projecting' abundance profiles to different density profiles for ease of computation. Due to the small velocity extent and low outer densities of the W7 profile, we find it inadequate to reproduce the evolution of SN 2021rhu as it fails to match the high-velocity calcium components. The host extinction of SN 2021rhu is uncertain but we use modelling with and without an extinction correction to set lower and upper limits on the abundances of individual species. Comparing these limits to literature models we conclude that the spectral evolution of SN 2021rhu is also incompatible with double-detonation scenarios, lying more in line with those resulting from the delayed-detonation mechanism (although there are some discrepancies, in particular a larger titanium abundance in SN 2021rhu compared to the literature). This suggests that SN 2021rhu is likely a lower luminosity, and hence lower temperature, version of a normal SN Ia.
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