| 1. |
- Gal-Yam, Avishay, et al.
(författare)
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A Wolf-Rayet-like progenitor of SN 2013cu from spectral observations of a stellar wind
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 509:7501, s. 471-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The explosive fate of massive Wolf-Rayet stars(1) (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(4). Comparison of early photometric observations of type Ic supernovae with theoretical models suggests that the progenitor stars had radii of less than 1012 centimetres, as expected for some WRSs(5). 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(6).
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| 2. |
- Maund, J. R., et al.
(författare)
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Supernova 2012ec : identification of the progenitor and early monitoring with PESSTO
- 2013
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966 .- 1745-3933 .- 1745-3925. ; 431:1, s. l102-L106
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the identification of the progenitor of the Type IIP SN 2012ec in archival pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Advanced Camera for Surveys Wide Field Channel F814W images. The properties of the progenitor are further constrained by non-detections in pre-explosion WFPC2 F450W and F606W images. We report a series of early photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2012ec. The r' -band light curve shows a plateau with M-r' = -17.0. The early spectrum is similar to the Type IIP SN 1999em, with the expansion velocity measured at Ha absorption minimum of -11 700 km s(-1) (at 1 d post-discovery). The photometric and spectroscopic evolution of SN 2012ec shows it to be a Type IIP SN, discovered only a few days post-explosion (<6 d). We derive a luminosity for the progenitor, in comparison with MARCS model spectral energy distributions, of log L/L-circle dot = 5.15 +/- 0.19, from which we infer an initial mass range of 14-22M(circle dot). This is the first SN with an identified progenitor to be followed by the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO).
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| 3. |
- Ofek, Eran O., et al.
(författare)
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INTERACTION-POWERED SUPERNOVAE : RISE-TIME VERSUS PEAK-LUMINOSITY CORRELATION AND THE SHOCK-BREAKOUT VELOCITY
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 788:2, s. 154-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interaction of supernova (SN) ejecta with the optically thick circumstellar medium (CSM) of a progenitor star can result in a bright, long-lived shock-breakout event. Candidates for such SNe include Type IIn and superluminous SNe. If some of these SNe are powered by interaction, then there should be a specific relation between their peak luminosity, bolometric light-curve rise time, and shock-breakout velocity. Given that the shock velocity during shock breakout is not measured, we expect a correlation, with a significant spread, between the rise time and the peak luminosity of these SNe. Here, we present a sample of 15 SNe IIn for which we have good constraints on their rise time and peak luminosity from observations obtained using the Palomar Transient Factory. We report on a possible correlation between the R-band rise time and peak luminosity of these SNe, with a false-alarm probability of 3%. Assuming that these SNe are powered by interaction, combining these observables and theory allows us to deduce lower limits on the shock-breakout velocity. The lower limits on the shock velocity we find are consistent with what is expected for SNe (i.e., similar to 10(4) km s(-1)). This supports the suggestion that the early-time light curves of SNe IIn are caused by shock breakout in a dense CSM. We note that such a correlation can arise from other physical mechanisms. Performing such a test on other classes of SNe ( e. g., superluminous SNe) can be used to rule out the interaction model for a class of events.
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| 4. |
- Scalzo, R. A., et al.
(författare)
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Early ultraviolet emission in the Type Ia supernova LSQ12gdj : No evidence for ongoing shock interaction
- 2014
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 445:1, s. 30-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present photospheric-phase observations of LSQ12gdj, a slowly declining, UV-bright Type Ia supernova. Classified well before maximum light, LSQ12gdj has extinction-corrected absolute magnitude M-B = -19.8, and pre-maximum spectroscopic evolution similar to SN 1991T and the super-Chandrasekhar-mass SN 2007if. We use ultraviolet photometry from Swift, ground-based optical photometry, and corrections from a near-infrared photometric template to construct the bolometric (1600-23 800 angstrom) light curve out to 45 d past B-band maximum light. We estimate that LSQ12gdj produced 0.96 +/- 0.07 M-circle dot of Ni-56, with an ejected mass near or slightly above the Chandrasekhar mass. As much as 27 per cent of the flux at the earliest observed phases, and 17 per cent at maximum light, is emitted bluewards of 3300 angstrom. The absence of excess luminosity at late times, the cutoff of the spectral energy distribution bluewards of 3000 angstrom and the absence of narrow line emission and strong Na I D absorption all argue against a significant contribution from ongoing shock interaction. However, similar to 10 per cent of LSQ12gdj's luminosity near maximum light could be produced by the release of trapped radiation, including kinetic energy thermalized during a brief interaction with a compact, hydrogen-poor envelope (radius < 10(13) cm) shortly after explosion; such an envelope arises generically in double-degenerate merger scenarios.
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| 5. |
- Valenti, S., et al.
(författare)
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PESSTO spectroscopic classification of La Silla-Quest Transients
- 2012
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- PESSTO is the "Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects" (http://www.pessto.org) using the ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla and the EFOSC2 (optical) and SOFI (near-IR) spectrographs. It is one of two currently running public spectroscopic surveys at ESO. The survey details are as follows: - PESSTO has 90 nights per year on the NTT: 9 lunations (August to April), 10 nights per lunation (we are not observing May-July).
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| 6. |
- Vreeswijk, Paul M., et al.
(författare)
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THE HYDROGEN-POOR SUPERLUMINOUS SUPERNOVA iPTF 13ajg AND ITS HOST GALAXY IN ABSORPTION AND EMISSION
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 797:1, s. 24-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present imaging and spectroscopy of a hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova (SLSN) discovered by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory, iPTF 13ajg. At a redshift of z = 0.7403, derived from narrow absorption lines, iPTF 13ajg peaked at an absolute magnitude of M-u,M-AB = -22.5, one of the most luminous supernovae to date. The observed bolometric peak luminosity of iPTF 13ajg is 3.2 x 10(44) erg s(-1), while the estimated total radiated energy is 1.3 x 10(51) erg. We detect narrow absorption lines of Mg I, Mg II, and Fe II, associated with the cold interstellar medium in the host galaxy, at two different epochs with X-shooter at the Very Large Telescope. From Voigt profile fitting, we derive the column densities log N(Mg I) = 11.94 +/- 0.06, log N(Mg II) = 14.7 +/- 0.3, and log N(Fe II) = 14.25 +/- 0.10. These column densities, as well as the Mg I and Mg II equivalent widths of a sample of hydrogen-poor SLSNe taken from the literature, are at the low end of those derived for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) whose progenitors are also thought to be massive stars. This suggests that the environments of hydrogen-poor SLSNe and GRBs are different. From the nondetection of Fe II fine-structure absorption lines, we derive a lower limit on the distance between the supernova and the narrow-line absorbing gas of 50 pc. The neutral gas responsible for the absorption in iPTF 13ajg exhibits a single narrow component with a low velocity width, Delta V = 76 km s(-1), indicating a low-mass host galaxy. No host galaxy emission lines are detected, leading to an upper limit on the unobscured star formation rate (SFR) of SFR[O II] < 0.07 M-circle dot yr(-1). Late-time imaging shows the iPTF 13ajg host galaxy to be faint, with g(AB) approximate to 27.0 and R-AB >= 26.0 mag, corresponding to M-B,M-Vega greater than or similar to -17.7 mag.
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