1. |
- Gal-Yam, A., et al.
(author)
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A WC/WO star exploding within an expanding carbon-oxygen-neon nebula
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 601:7892, s. 201-204
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The final fate of massive stars, and the nature of the compact remnants they leave behind (black holes and neutron stars), are open questions in astrophysics. Many massive stars are stripped of their outer hydrogen envelopes as they evolve. Such Wolf-Rayet stars(1) emit strong and rapidly expanding winds with speeds greater than 1,000 kilometres per second. A fraction of this population is also helium-depleted, with spectra dominated by highly ionized emission lines of carbon and oxygen (types WC/WO). Evidence indicates that the most commonly observed supernova explosions that lack hydrogen and helium (types Ib/Ic) cannot result from massive WC/WO stars(2,3), leading some to suggest that most such stars collapse directly into black holes without a visible supernova explosion(4). Here we report observations of SN 2019hgp, beginning about a day after the explosion. Its short rise time and rapid decline place it among an emerging population of rapidly evolving transients(5-8). Spectroscopy reveals a rich set of emission lines indicating that the explosion occurred within a nebula composed of carbon, oxygen and neon. Narrow absorption features show that this material is expanding at high velocities (greater than 1,500 kilometres per second), requiring a compact progenitor. Our observations are consistent with an explosion of a massive WC/WO star, and suggest that massive Wolf-Rayet stars may be the progenitors of some rapidly evolving transients.
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2. |
- Tinyanont, S., et al.
(author)
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Keck Infrared Transient Survey. I. Survey Description and Data Release 1
- 2024
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In: Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. - 0004-6280 .- 1538-3873. ; 136:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the Keck Infrared Transient Survey, a NASA Key Strategic Mission Support program to obtain near-infrared (NIR) spectra of astrophysical transients of all types, and its first data release, consisting of 105 NIR spectra of 50 transients. Such a data set is essential as we enter a new era of IR astronomy with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman). NIR spectral templates will be essential to search JWST images for stellar explosions of the first stars and to plan an effective Roman SN Ia cosmology survey, both key science objectives for mission success. Between 2022 February and 2023 July, we systematically obtained 274 NIR spectra of 146 astronomical transients, representing a significant increase in the number of available NIR spectra in the literature. Here, we describe the first release of data from the 2022A semester. We systematically observed three samples: a flux-limited sample that includes all transients <17 mag in a red optical band (usually ZTF r or ATLAS o bands); a volume-limited sample including all transients within redshift z < 0.01 (D ≈ 50 Mpc); and an SN Ia sample targeting objects at phases and light-curve parameters that had scant existing NIR data in the literature. The flux-limited sample is 39% complete (60% excluding SNe Ia), while the volume-limited sample is 54% complete and is 79% complete to z = 0.005. Transient classes observed include common Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae, tidal disruption events, luminous red novae, and the newly categorized hydrogen-free/helium-poor interacting Type Icn supernovae. We describe our observing procedures and data reduction using PypeIt, which requires minimal human interaction to ensure reproducibility.
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3. |
- Chen, Ping, et al.
(author)
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A Linear Relation between the Color Stretch sBV and the Rising Color Slope s0*(B – V) of Type Ia Supernovae
- 2023
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 946:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using data from the Complete Nearby (redshift zhost < 0.02) sample of Type Ia Supernovae (CNIa0.02), we find a linear relation between two parameters derived from the B − V color curves of Type Ia supernovae: the color stretch sBV and the rising color slope s0*(B – V) after the peak, and this relation applies to the full range of sBV. The sBV parameter is known to be tightly correlated with the peak luminosity, especially for fast decliners (dim Type Ia supernovae), and the luminosity correlation with sBV is markedly better than with the classic light-curve width parameters such as Δm15(B). Thus, our new linear relation can be used to infer peak luminosity from s0*. Unlike sBV (or Δm15(B)), the measurement of s0*(B – V) does not rely on a well-determined time of light-curve peak or color maximum, making it less demanding on the light-curve coverage than past approaches.
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4. |
- Pessi, Priscila Jael, et al.
(author)
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Broad-emission-line dominated hydrogen-rich luminous supernovae
- 2023
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 523:4, s. 5315-5340
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hydrogen-rich Type II supernovae (SNe II) are the most frequently observed class of core-collapse SNe (CCSNe). However, most studies that analyse large samples of SNe II lack events with absolute peak magnitudes brighter than −18.5 mag at rest-frame optical wavelengths. Thanks to modern surveys, the detected number of such luminous SNe II (LSNe II) is growing. There exist several mechanisms that could produce luminous SNe II. The most popular propose either the presence of a central engine (a magnetar gradually spinning down or a black hole accreting fallback material) or the interaction of supernova ejecta with circumstellar material (CSM) that turns kinetic energy into radiation energy. In this work, we study the light curves and spectral series of a small sample of six LSNe II that show peculiarities in their H α profile, to attempt to understand the underlying powering mechanism. We favour an interaction scenario with CSM that is not dense enough to be optically thick to electron scattering on large scales – thus, no narrow emission lines are observed. This conclusion is based on the observed light curve (higher luminosity, fast decline, blue colours) and spectral features (lack of persistent narrow lines, broad H α emission, lack of H α absorption, weak, or non-existent metal lines) together with comparison to other luminous events available in the literature. We add to the growing evidence that transients powered by ejecta–CSM interaction do not necessarily display persistent narrow emission lines.
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5. |
- Perley, Daniel A., et al.
(author)
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The Zwicky Transient Facility Bright Transient Survey. II. A Public Statistical Sample for Exploring Supernova Demographics
- 2020
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 904:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a public catalog of transients from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Bright Transient Survey, a magnitude-limited (m g or r filter) survey for extragalactic transients in the ZTF public stream. We introduce cuts on survey coverage, sky visibility around peak light, and other properties unconnected to the nature of the transient, and show that the resulting statistical sample is spectroscopically 97% complete at <18 mag, 93% complete at <18.5 mag, and 75% complete at <19 mag. We summarize the fundamental properties of this population, identifying distinct duration-luminosity correlations in a variety of supernova (SN) classes and associating the majority of fast optical transients with well-established spectroscopic SN types (primarily SN Ibn and II/IIb). We measure the Type Ia SN and core-collapse (CC) SN rates and luminosity functions, which show good consistency with recent work. About 7% of CC SNe explode in very low-luminosity galaxies (M-i > -16 mag), 10% in red-sequence galaxies, and 1% in massive ellipticals. We find no significant difference in the luminosity or color distributions between the host galaxies of SNe Type II and SNe Type Ib/c, suggesting that line-driven wind stripping does not play a major role in the loss of the hydrogen envelope from their progenitors. Future large-scale classification efforts with ZTF and other wide-area surveys will provide high-quality measurements of the rates, properties, and environments of all known types of optical transients and limits on the existence of theoretically predicted but as yet unobserved explosions.
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6. |
- Sollerman, Jesper, et al.
(author)
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The Type II supernova SN 2020jfo in M 61, implications for progenitor system, and explosion dynamics
- 2021
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 655
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the discovery and extensive follow-up observations of SN 2020jfo, a Type IIP supernova (SN) in the nearby (14.5 Mpc) galaxy M 61. Optical light curves (LCs) and spectra from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), complemented with data from Swift/UVOT and near-infrared photometry is presented. These were used to model the 350-day duration bolometric light curve, which exhibits a relatively short (∼65 days) plateau. This implies a moderate ejecta mass (∼5 M⊙) at the time of explosion, whereas the deduced amount of ejected radioactive nickel is ∼0.025 M⊙. An extensive series of spectroscopy is presented, including spectropolarimetric observations. The nebular spectra are dominated by Hα, but also reveal emission lines from oxygen and calcium. Comparisons to synthetic nebular spectra indicate an initial progenitor mass of ∼12 M⊙. We also note the presence of stable nickel in the nebular spectrum, and SN 2020jfo joins a small group of SNe that have inferred super-solar Ni/Fe ratios. Several years of prediscovery data were examined, but no signs of precursor activity were found. Pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope imaging reveals a probable progenitor star, detected only in the reddest band (MF814W ≈ −5.8) and it is fainter than expected for stars in the 10−15 M⊙ range. There is thus some tension between the LC analysis, the nebular spectral modeling, and the pre-explosion imaging. To compare and contrast, we present two additional core-collapse SNe monitored by the ZTF, which also have nebular Hα-dominated spectra. This illustrates how the absence or presence of an interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) affect both the LCs and in particular the nebular spectra. Type II SN 2020amv has a LC powered by CSM interaction, in particular after ∼40 days when the LC is bumpy and slowly evolving. The late-time spectra show strong Hα emission with a structure suggesting emission from a thin, dense shell. The evolution of the complex three-horn line profile is reminiscent of that observed for SN 1998S. Finally, SN 2020jfv has a poorly constrained early-time LC, but it is of interest because of the transition from a hydrogen-poor Type IIb to a Type IIn, where the nebular spectrum after the light-curve rebrightening is dominated by Hα, although with an intermediate line width.
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7. |
- Strotjohann, Nora L., et al.
(author)
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Bright, Months-long Stellar Outbursts Announce the Explosion of Interaction-powered Supernovae
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 907:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Interaction-powered supernovae (SNe) explode within an optically thick circumstellar medium (CSM) that could be ejected during eruptive events. To identify and characterize such pre-explosion outbursts, we produce forced-photometry light curves for 196 interacting SNe, mostly of Type IIn, detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility between early 2018 and 2020 June. Extensive tests demonstrate that we only expect a few false detections among the 70,000 analyzed pre-explosion images after applying quality cuts and bias corrections. We detect precursor eruptions prior to 18 Type IIn SNe and prior to the Type Ibn SN 2019uo. Precursors become brighter and more frequent in the last months before the SN and month-long outbursts brighter than magnitude -13 occur prior to 25% (5-69%, 95% confidence range) of all Type IIn SNe within the final three months before the explosion. With radiative energies of up to 10(49) erg, precursors could eject similar to 1 M of material. Nevertheless, SNe with detected precursors are not significantly more luminous than other SNe IIn, and the characteristic narrow hydrogen lines in their spectra typically originate from earlier, undetected mass-loss events. The long precursor durations require ongoing energy injection, and they could, for example, be powered by interaction or by a continuum-driven wind. Instabilities during the neon- and oxygen-burning phases are predicted to launch precursors in the final years to months before the explosion; however, the brightest precursor is 100 times more energetic than anticipated.
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8. |
- Irani, Ido, et al.
(author)
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SN 2022oqm-A Ca-rich Explosion of a Compact Progenitor Embedded in C/O Circumstellar Material
- 2024
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 962:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the discovery and analysis of SN 2022oqm, a Type Ic supernova (SN) detected <1 day after the explosion. The SN rises to a blue and short-lived (2 days) initial peak. Early-time spectral observations of SN 2022oqm show a hot (40,000 K) continuum with high ionization C and O absorption features at velocities of 4000 km s−1, while its photospheric radius expands at 20,000 km s−1, indicating a pre-existing distribution of expanding C/O material. After ∼2.5 days, both the spectrum and light curves evolve into those of a typical SN Ic, with line velocities of ∼10,000 km s−1, in agreement with the evolution of the photospheric radius. The optical light curves reach a second peak at t ≈ 15 days. By t = 60 days, the spectrum of SN 2022oqm becomes nearly nebular, displaying strong Ca ii and [Ca ii] emission with no detectable [O i], marking this event as Ca-rich. The early behavior can be explained by 10−3M⊙ of optically thin circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding either (1) a massive compact progenitor such as a Wolf–Rayet star, (2) a massive stripped progenitor with an extended envelope, or (3) a binary system with a white dwarf. We propose that the early-time light curve is powered by both the interaction of the ejecta with the optically thin CSM and shock cooling (in the massive star scenario). The observations can be explained by CSM that is optically thick to X-ray photons, is optically thick in the lines as seen in the spectra, and is optically thin to visible-light continuum photons that come either from downscattered X-rays or from the shock-heated ejecta. Calculations show that this scenario is self-consistent.
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9. |
- Brout, Dillon, et al.
(author)
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The Pantheon+ analysis : cosmological constraints
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 938:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present constraints on cosmological parameters from the Pantheon+ analysis of 1701 light curves of 1550 distinct Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) ranging in redshift from z = 0.001 to 2.26. This work features an increased sample size from the addition of multiple cross-calibrated photometric systems of SNe covering an increased redshift span, and improved treatments of systematic uncertainties in comparison to the original Pantheon analysis, which together result in a factor of 2 improvement in cosmological constraining power. For a flat ΛCDM model, we find ΩM = 0.334 ± 0.018 from SNe Ia alone. For a flat w0CDM model, we measure w0 = −0.90 ± 0.14 from SNe Ia alone, H0 = 73.5 ± 1.1 km s−1 Mpc−1 when including the Cepheid host distances and covariance (SH0ES), and w0 = -0.978-+0.0310.024 when combining the SN likelihood with Planck constraints from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO); both w0 values are consistent with a cosmological constant. We also present the most precise measurements to date on the evolution of dark energy in a flat w0waCDM universe, and measure wa = -0.1-+2.00.9 from Pantheon+ SNe Ia alone, H0 = 73.3 ± 1.1 km s−1 Mpc−1 when including SH0ES Cepheid distances, and wa = -0.65-+0.320.28 when combining Pantheon+ SNe Ia with CMB and BAO data. Finally, we find that systematic uncertainties in the use of SNe Ia along the distance ladder comprise less than one-third of the total uncertainty in the measurement of H0 and cannot explain the present “Hubble tension” between local measurements and early universe predictions from the cosmological model.
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10. |
- Camacho-Neves, Yssavo, et al.
(author)
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Over 500 Days in the Life of the Photosphere of the Type Iax Supernova SN 2014dt
- 2023
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 951:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) are the largest known class of peculiar white dwarf SNe, distinct from normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The unique properties of SNe Iax, especially their strong photospheric lines out to extremely late times, allow us to model their optical spectra and derive the physical parameters of the long-lasting photosphere. We present an extensive spectral timeseries, including 21 new spectra, of SN Iax 2014dt from +11 to +562 days after maximum light. We are able to reproduce the entire timeseries with a self-consistent, nearly unaltered deflagration explosion model from Fink et al. using TARDIS, an open source radiative-transfer code. We find that the photospheric velocity of SN 2014dt slows its evolution between +64 and +148 days, which closely overlaps the phase when we see SN 2014dt diverge from the normal spectral evolution of SNe Ia (+90 to +150 days). The photospheric velocity at these epochs, ∼400–1000 km s−1, may demarcate a boundary within the ejecta below which the physics of SNe Iax and normal SNe Ia differ. Our results suggest that SN 2014dt is consistent with a weak deflagration explosion model that leaves behind a bound remnant and drives an optically thick, quasi-steady-state wind creating the photospheric lines at late times. The data also suggest that this wind may weaken at epochs past +450 days, perhaps indicating a radioactive power source that has decayed away.
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