28 research outputs found
Disentangling the Origin and Heating Mechanism of Supernova Dust: Late-Time Spitzer Spectroscopy of the Type IIn SN 2005ip
This paper presents late-time near-infrared and {\it Spitzer} mid-infrared
photometric and spectroscopic observations of warm dust in the Type IIn SN
2005ip in NGC 2906. The spectra show evidence for two dust components with
different temperatures. Spanning the peak of the thermal emission, these
observations provide strong constraints on the dust mass, temperature, and
luminosity, which serve as critical diagnostics for disentangling the origin
and heating mechanism of each component. The results suggest the warmer dust
has a mass of \msolar, originates from newly formed
dust in the ejecta, or possibly the cool, dense shell, and is continuously
heated by the circumstellar interaction. By contrast, the cooler component
likely originates from a circumstellar shock echo that forms from the heating
of a large, pre-existing dust shell ~\msolar~by the late-time
circumstellar interaction. The progenitor wind velocity derived from the blue
edge of the He 1 1.083 \micron~P Cygni profile indicates a progenitor eruption
likely formed this dust shell 100 years prior to the supernova explosion,
which is consistent with a Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) progenitor star.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, Accepted to Ap
Early Dust Formation and a Massive Progenitor for SN 2011ja?
SN 2011ja was a bright (I = -18.3) Type II supernova occurring in the nearby
edge on spiral galaxy NGC 4945. Flat-topped and multi-peaked H-alpha and H-beta
spectral emission lines appear between 64 - 84 days post-explosion, indicating
interaction with a disc-like circumstellar medium inclined 30-45 degrees from
edge-on. After day 84 an increase in the H- and K-band flux along with heavy
attenuation of the red wing of the emission lines are strong indications of
early dust formation, likely located in the cool dense shell created between
the forward shock of the SN ejecta and the reverse shock created as the ejecta
plows into the existing CSM. Radiative transfer modeling reveals both ~1.5 x
10^-4 Msun of pre-existing dust located ~ 10^16.7 cm away and ~ 5 x 10^-5 Msun
of newly formed dust. Spectral observations after 1.5 years reveal the
possibility that the fading SN is located within a young (3-6 Myr) massive
stellar cluster, which when combined with tentative 56Ni mass estimates of 0.2
Msun may indicate a massive (> 25 Msun) progenitor for SN 2011ja.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRAS awaiting final referee repor
Thirty years of SN 1980K: Evidence for light echoes
We report optical and mid-infrared photometry of SN 1980K between 2004 and
2010, which show slow monotonic fading consistent with previous spectroscopic
and photometric observations made 8 to 17 years after outburst. The slow
rate-of-change over two decades suggests that this evolution may result from
scattered and thermal light echoes off of extended circumstellar material. We
present a semi- analytic dust radiative-transfer model that uses an empirically
corrected effective optical depth to provide a fast and robust alternative to
full Monte-Carlo radiative transfer modeling for homogenous dust at low to
intermediate optical depths. We find that unresolved echoes from a thin
circumstellar shell 14-15 lt-yr from the progenitor, and containing about 0.02
Msun of carbon-rich dust, can explain the broadband spectral and temporal
evolution. The size, mass and dust composition are in good agreement with the
contact discontinuity observed in scattered echoes around SN 1987A. The origin
of slowly-changing high-velocity [O I] and Halpha lines is also considered. We
propose an origin in shocked high-velocity metal-rich clumps of ejecta, rather
than arising in the impact of ejecta on slowly-moving circumstellar material,
as is the case with hot spots in SN 1987A.Comment: Accepted 2/14/12 to be published in ApJ. 15 pages, 10 figure
Late-time Light Curves of Type II Supernovae: Physical Properties of SNe and Their Environment
We present BVRIJHK band photometry of 6 core-collapse supernovae, SNe 1999bw,
2002hh, 2003gd, 2004et, 2005cs, and 2006bc measured at late epochs (>2 yrs)
based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Gemini north, and WIYN telescopes. We
also show the JHK lightcurves of a supernova impostor SN 2008S up to day 575.
Of our 43 HST observations in total, 36 observations are successful in
detecting the light from the SNe alone and measuring magnitudes of all the
targets. HST observations show a resolved scattered light echo around SN 2003gd
at day 1520 and around SN 2002hh at day 1717. Our Gemini and WIYN observations
detected SNe 2002hh and 2004et, as well. Combining our data with previously
published data, we show VRIJHK-band lightcurves and estimate decline magnitude
rates at each band in 4 different phases. Our prior work on these lightcurves
and other data indicate that dust is forming in our targets from day ~300-400,
supporting SN dust formation theory. In this paper we focus on other physical
properties derived from the late time light curves. We estimate 56Ni masses for
our targets (0.5-14 x 10^{-2} Msun) from the bolometric lightcurve of each for
days ~150-300 using SN 1987A as a standard (7.5 x 10^{-2} Msun). The flattening
or sometimes increasing fluxes in the late time light curves of SNe 2002hh,
2003gd, 2004et and 2006bc indicate the presence of light echos. We estimate the
circumstellar hydrogen density of the material causing the light echo and find
that SN 2002hh is surrounded by relatively dense materials (n(H) >400 cm^{-3})
and SNe 2003gd and 2004et have densities more typical of the interstellar
medium (~1 cm^{-3}). The 56Ni mass appears well correlated with progenitor mass
with a slope of 0.31 x 10^{-2}, supporting the previous work by Maeda et al.
(2010), who focus on more massive Type II SNe. The dust mass does not appear to
be correlated with progenitor mass.Comment: We corrected the 56Ni mass of SN2005cs and Figures 8 (a) and 8 (c
The Three-Dimensional Circumstellar Environment of SN 1987A
We present the detailed construction and analysis of the most complete map to
date of the circumstellar environment around SN 1987A, using ground and
space-based imaging from the past 16 years. PSF-matched difference-imaging
analyses of data from 1988 through 1997 reveal material between 1 and 28 ly
from the SN. Careful analyses allows the reconstruction of the probable
circumstellar environment, revealing a richly-structured bipolar nebula. An
outer, double-lobed ``Peanut,'' which is believed to be the contact
discontinuity between red supergiant and main sequence winds, is a prolate
shell extending 28 ly along the poles and 11 ly near the equator. Napoleon's
Hat, previously believed to be an independent structure, is the waist of this
Peanut, which is pinched to a radius of 6 ly. Interior to this is a cylindrical
hourglass, 1 ly in radius and 4 ly long, which connects to the Peanut by a
thick equatorial disk. The nebulae are inclined 41\degr south and 8\degr east
of the line of sight, slightly elliptical in cross section, and marginally
offset west of the SN. From the hourglass to the large, bipolar lobes, echo
fluxes suggest that the gas density drops from 1--3 cm^{-3} to >0.03 cm^{-3},
while the maximum dust-grain size increases from ~0.2 micron to 2 micron, and
the Si:C dust ratio decreases. The nebulae have a total mass of ~1.7 Msun. The
geometry of the three rings is studied, suggesting the northern and southern
rings are located 1.3 and 1.0 ly from the SN, while the equatorial ring is
elliptical (b/a < 0.98), and spatially offset in the same direction as the
hourglass.Comment: Accepted for publication in the ApJ Supplements. 38 pages in
apjemulate format, with 52 figure
An Extremely Bright Echo Associated With SN 2002hh
We present new, very late-time optical photometry and spectroscopy of the
interesting Type II-P supernova, SN 2002hh, in NGC 6946. Gemini/GMOS-N has been
used to acquire visible spectra at six epochs between 2004 August and 2006
July, following the evolution of the SN from age 661 to 1358 days. Few optical
spectra of Type II supernovae with ages greater than one year exist. In
addition, g'r'i' images were acquired at all six epochs. The spectral and
photometric evolution of SN 2002hh has been very unusual. Measures of the
brightness of this SN, both in the R and I bands as well as in the H-alpha
emission flux, show no significant fading over an interval of nearly two years.
The most straightforward explanation for this behavior is that the light being
measured comes not only from the SN itself but also from an echo off of nearby
dust. Echoes have been detected previously around several SNe but these echoes,
at their brightest, were ~8 mag below the maximum brightness of the SN. At V~21
mag, the putative echo dominates the light of SN 2002hh and is only ~4 mag
below the outburst's peak brightness. There is an estimated 6 magnitudes of
total extinction in V towards SN 2002hh. The proposed explanation of a
differential echo/SN absorption is inconsistent with the observed BVRI colors.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in the Ap
A New View of the Circumstellar Environment of SN 1987A
We summarize the analysis of a uniform set of both previously-known and
newly-discovered scattered-light echoes, detected within 30" of SN 1987A in ten
years of optical imaging, and with which we have constructed the most complete
three-dimensional model of the progenitor's circumstellar environment.
Surrounding the SN is a richly-structured bipolar nebula. An outer,
double-lobed ``peanut,'' which we believe is the contact discontinuity between
the red supergiant and main sequence winds, is a prolate shell extending 28 ly
along the poles and 11 ly near the equator. Napoleon's Hat, previously believed
to be an independent structure, is the waist of this peanut, which is pinched
to a radius of 6 ly. Interior, the innermost circumstellar material lies along
a cylindrical hourglass, 1 ly in radius and 4 ly long, which connects to the
peanut by a thick equatorial disk. The nebulae are inclined 41o south and 8o
east of the line of sight, slightly elliptical in cross section, and marginally
offset west of the SN. The 3-D geometry of the three circumstellar rings is
studied, suggesting the equatorial ring is elliptical (b/a<0.98), and spatially
offset in the same direction as the hourglass. Dust-scattering models suggest
that between the hourglass and bipolar lobes: the gas density drops from 1--3
cm^{-3} to >0.03 cm^{-3}; the maximum dust-grain size increases from ~0.2
micron to 2 micron; and the Si:C dust ratio decreases. The nebulae have a total
mass of ~1.7 Msun, yielding a red-supergiant mass loss around 5*10^{-6} Msun
yr^{-1}.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ 2/14/05. 16 pages in emualteapj
forma
Massive-Star Supernovae as Major Dust Factories
We present late-time optical and mid-infrared observations of the Type-II
supernova 2003gd in NGC 628. Mid-infrared excesses consistent with cooling dust
in the ejecta are observed 499-678 days after outburst, and are accompanied by
increasing optical extinction and growing asymmetries in the emission-line
profiles. Radiative-transfer models show that up to 0.02 solar masses of dust
has formed within the ejecta, beginning as early as 250 days after outburst.
These observations show that dust formation in supernova ejecta can be
efficient and that massive-star supernovae can be major dust producers
throughout the history of the Universe.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure. Accepted 2006 May 30 for publication in Science;
Published in 2006 Jun 8 edition of Science Express; 2nd version fixes minor
change in conclusion made in pres