13 research outputs found
Possible detection of singly-ionized oxygen in the Type Ia SN 2010kg
We present direct spectroscopic modeling of 11 high-S/N observed spectra of
the Type Ia SN 2010kg, taken between -10 and +5 days with respect to B-maximum.
The synthetic spectra, calculated with the SYN++ code, span the range between
4100 and 8500 \r{A}. Our results are in good agreement with previous findings
for other Type Ia SNe. Most of the spectral features are formed at or close to
the photosphere, but some ions, like Fe II and Mg II, also form features at
~2000 - 5000 km s above the photosphere. The well-known high-velocity
features of the Ca II IR-triplet as well as Si II 6355 are also
detected.
The single absorption feature at ~4400 \r{A}, which usually has been
identified as due to Si III, is poorly fit with Si III in SN 2010kg. We find
that the fit can be improved by assuming that this feature is due to either C
III or O II, located in the outermost part of the ejecta, ~4000 - 5000 km
s above the photosphere. Since the presence of C III is unlikely,
because of the lack of the necessary excitation/ionization conditions in the
outer ejecta, we identify this feature as due to O II. The simultaneous
presence of O I and O II is in good agreement with the optical depth
calculations and the temperature distribution in the ejecta of SN 2010kg. This
could be the first identification of singly ionized oxygen in a Type Ia SN
atmosphere.Comment: Submitted to MNRA
Type Iax SNe as a few-parameter family
We present direct spectroscopic modeling of five Type Iax supernovae (SNe)
with the one dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer code TARDIS. The
abundance tomography technique is used to map the chemical structure and
physical properties of the SN atmosphere. Through via fitting of multiple
spectral epochs with self-consistent ejecta models, we can then constrain the
location of some elements within the ejecta. The synthetic spectra of the
best-fit models are able to reproduce the flux continuum and the main
absorption features in the whole sample. We find that the mass fractions of
IGEs and IMEs show a decreasing trend toward the outer regions of the
atmospheres using density profiles similar to those of deflagration models in
the literature. Oxygen is the only element, which could be dominant at higher
velocities. The stratified abundance structure contradicts the well-mixed
chemical profiles predicted by pure deflagration models. Based on the derived
densities and abundances, a template model atmosphere is created for the SN Iax
class and compared to the observed spectra. Free parameters are the scaling of
the density profile, the velocity shift of the abundance template, and the peak
luminosity. The results of this test support the idea that all SNe Iax can be
described by a similar internal structure, which argues for a common origin of
this class of explosions.Comment: 21 pages, 7 tables, 16 figures, accepted by MNRA
High-Velocity Features of Calcium and Silicon in the Spectra of Type Ia Supernovae
"High-velocity features" (HVFs) are spectral features in Type Ia supernovae
(SNe Ia) that have minima indicating significantly higher (by greater than
about 6000 km/s) velocities than typical "photospheric-velocity features"
(PVFs). The PVFs are absorption features with minima indicating typical
photospheric (i.e., bulk ejecta) velocities (usually ~9000-15,000 km/s near
B-band maximum brightness). In this work we undertake the most in-depth study
of HVFs ever performed. The dataset used herein consists of 445 low-resolution
optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectra (at epochs up to 5 d past maximum
brightness) of 210 low-redshift SNe Ia that follow the "Phillips relation." A
series of Gaussian functions is fit to the data in order to characterise
possible HVFs of Ca II H&K, Si II {\lambda}6355, and the Ca II NIR triplet. The
temporal evolution of the velocities and strengths of the PVFs and HVFs of
these three spectral features is investigated, as are possible correlations
with other SN Ia observables. We find that while HVFs of Ca II are regularly
observed (except in underluminous SNe Ia, where they are never found), HVFs of
Si II {\lambda}6355 are significantly rarer, and they tend to exist at the
earliest epochs and mostly in objects with large photospheric velocities. It is
also shown that stronger HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 are found in objects that
lack C II absorption at early times and that have red ultraviolet/optical
colours near maximum brightness. These results lead to a self-consistent
connection between the presence and strength of HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 and
many other mutually correlated SN~Ia observables, including photospheric
velocity.Comment: 48 pages (22 of which are tables), 15 figures, 5 tables, re-submitted
to MNRAS (after first referee report
Three is the magic number -- distance measurement of NGC 3147 using SN 2021hpr and its siblings
The nearby spiral galaxy NGC 3147 hosted three Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in
the past decades, which have been subjects of intense follow-up observations.
Simultaneous analysis of their data provides a unique opportunity for testing
the different light curve fitting methods and distance estimations. The
detailed optical follow-up of SN 2021hpr allows us to revise the previous
distance estimations to NGC 3147, and compare the widely used light curve
fitting algorithms to each other. After the combination of the available and
newly published data of SN 2021hpr, its physical properties can be also
estimated with higher accuracy. We present and analyse new BVgriz and Swift
photometry of SN 2021hpr to constrain its general physical properties. Together
with its siblings, SNe 1997bq and 2008fv, we cross-compare the individual
distance estimates of these three SNe given by the SALT code, and also check
their consistency with the results from the MLCS2k2 method. The early spectral
series of SN 2021hpr are also fit with the radiative spectral code TARDIS in
order to verify the explosion properties and constrain the chemical
distribution of the outer ejecta. After combining the distance estimates for
the three SNe, the mean distance to their host galaxy, NGC 3127, is 42.5
1.0 Mpc, which matches with the distance inferred by the most up-to-date LC
fitters, SALT3 and BayeSN. We confirm that SN~2021hpr is a Branch-normal Type
Ia SN that ejected M from its progenitor white
dwarf, and synthesized M of radioactive Ni.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, 11 tables; accepted for publication in A&
Over 500 Days in the Life of the Photosphere of the Type Iax Supernova SN 2014dt
Type Iax supernovae (SN Iax) are the largest known class of peculiar white
dwarf supernovae, distinct from normal Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia). The unique
properties of SN Iax, especially their strong photospheric lines out to
extremely late times, allow us to model their optical spectra and derive
physical parameters for 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. (2014) using TARDIS, an open-source radiative transfer code (Kerzendorf
& Sim 2014; Kerzendorf et al. 2023). 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
SN Ia (+90 to +150 days). The photospheric velocity at these epochs,
~4001000 km s, may demarcate a boundary within the ejecta below which
the physics of SN Iax and normal SN 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.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 22 pages, 8 figures, 3 table
Over 500 Days in the Life of the Photosphere of the Type Iax Supernova SN 2014dt
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
A JWST Near- and Mid-infrared Nebular Spectrum of the Type Ia Supernova 2021aefx
We present JWST near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopic observations of the nearby normal Type Ia supernova (SN) SN 2021aefx in the nebular phase at +255 days past maximum light. Our Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and Mid Infrared Instrument observations, combined with ground-based optical data from the South African Large Telescope, constitute the first complete optical+NIR+MIR nebular SN Ia spectrum covering 0.3–14 μ m. This spectrum unveils the previously unobserved 2.5−5 μ m region, revealing strong nebular iron and stable nickel emission, indicative of high-density burning that can constrain the progenitor mass. The data show a significant improvement in sensitivity and resolution compared to previous Spitzer MIR data. We identify numerous NIR and MIR nebular emission lines from iron-group elements as well as lines from the intermediate-mass element argon. The argon lines extend to higher velocities than the iron-group elements, suggesting stratified ejecta that are a hallmark of delayed-detonation or double-detonation SN Ia models. We present fits to simple geometric line profiles to features beyond 1.2 μ m and find that most lines are consistent with Gaussian or spherical emission distributions, while the [Ar iii ] 8.99 μ m line has a distinctively flat-topped profile indicating a thick spherical shell of emission. Using our line profile fits, we investigate the emissivity structure of SN 2021aefx and measure kinematic properties. Continued observations of SN 2021aefx and other SNe Ia with JWST will be transformative to the study of SN Ia composition, ionization structure, density, and temperature, and will provide important constraints on SN Ia progenitor and explosion models
Ground-based and JWST Observations of SN 2022pul: II. Evidence from Nebular Spectroscopy for a Violent Merger in a Peculiar Type-Ia Supernova
International audienceWe present an analysis of ground-based and JWST observations of SN 2022pul, a peculiar "03fg-like" (or "super-Chandrasekhar") Type Ia supernova (SN Ia), in the nebular phase at 338 d post explosion. Our combined spectrum continuously covers 0.4-14 m and includes the first mid-infrared spectrum of an 03fg-like SN Ia. Compared to normal SN Ia 2021aefx, SN 2022pul exhibits a lower mean ionization state, asymmetric emission-line profiles, stronger emission from the intermediate-mass elements (IMEs) argon and calcium, weaker emission from iron-group elements (IGEs), and the first unambiguous detection of neon in a SN Ia. Strong, broad, centrally peaked [Ne II] at 12.81 m was previously predicted as a hallmark of "violent merger'' SN Ia models, where dynamical interaction between two sub- white dwarfs (WDs) causes disruption of the lower mass WD and detonation of the other. The violent merger scenario was already a leading hypothesis for 03fg-like SNe Ia; in SN 2022pul it can explain the large-scale ejecta asymmetries seen between the IMEs and IGEs and the central location of narrow oxygen and broad neon. We modify extant models to add clumping of the central ejecta to better reproduce the optical iron emission, and add mass in the innermost region ( km s) to account for the observed narrow [O I] , 6364 emission. A violent WD-WD merger explains many of the observations of SN 2022pul, and our results favor this model interpretation for the subclass of 03fg-like SN Ia