Broad Band Polarimetry of Supernovae: SN1994D, SN1994Y, SN1994ae, SN1995D and SN 1995H

We have made polarimetric observations of three Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) and two type II supernovae (SN II). No significant polarization was detected for any of the SN Ia down to the level of 0.2\%, while polarization of order $1.0\%$ was detected for the two SN II 1994Y and 1995H. A catalog of all the SNe with polarization data is compiled that shows a distinct trend that all the 5 SN II with sufficient polarimetric data show polarizations at about 1\%, while none of the 9 SN Ia in the sample show intrinsic polarization. This systematic difference in polarization of supernovae, if confirmed, raises many interesting questions concerning the mechanisms leading to supernova explosions. Our observations enhance the use of SN Ia as tools for determining the distance scale through various techniques, but suggest that one must be very cautious in utilizing Type II for distance determinations. However, we caution that the link between the asphericity of a supernova and the measured ``intrinsic'' polarization is complicated by reflected light from the circumstellar material and the intervening interstellar material, the so-called light echo. This effect may contribute more substantially to SN II than to SN Ia. The tight limits on polarization of SN Ia may constrain progenitor models with extensive scattering nebulae such as symbiotic stars and other systems of extensive mass loss.Comment: 27 pages, 3 Postscript figure

The Ultimate Light Curve of SN 1998bw/GRB 980425

We present multicolor light curves of SN 1998bw which appeared in ESO184-G82 in close temporal and spacial association with GRB 980425. They are based on observations done at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and data from the literature. The CTIO photometry reaches ~86 days after the GRB in $U$ and ~160 days after the GRB in BV(RI)_C. The observations in U extend by about 30 days the previously known coverage, and determine the slope of the early exponential tail. We calibrate a large set of local standards in common with those of previous studies and use them to transform published observations of the SN to our realization of the standard photometric system. We show that the photometry from different sources merges smoothly and provide a unified set of 300 observations of the SN in five bands. Using the extensive set of spectra in public domain we compute extinction and K corrections, and build quasi-bolometric unreddened rest frame light curves. We provide low degree piecewise spline fits to these light curves with daily sampling. They reach ~86 rest frame days after the GRB with U band coverage, and ~498 rest frame days after the GRB without U.Comment: 38 pages, 5 figures, 3 table

Estudios polarimétricos de nebulosas de reflexión

Se presentan observaciones UBVRI de objetos selectos, inmersos en nebulosas de reflexión, hechas con el fotopolarímetro de la UNLP y el telescopio "Perrine" del Observatorio Félix Aguilar. Se estudia la relación geométrica entre las características filamentarias de la estructura y la dirección del campo magnético así como las dependencia con la longitud de onda de la polarización lineal. Cuatro de los objetos estudiados presentan valores anómalos de la longitud de onda de máxima polarización.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

Numerical test of the stokes parameters

We made a numerical test of the estimators of the Stokes parameters. We tested the most common estimators in literature plus a maximum likelihood solution. We make an statistical analysis to compare the true errors with the observed ones and to determine the efficiency of the estimators. The maximum likelihood solution works fine under the conditions of the model when the errors are comparatively large.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

Expansion model for the external envelopes of the SN 1987A

Assuming the existence of a polarization produced by Thompson scattering, as suggested by the observations, a model has been computed for the optically thin layers of SN 1987A. Supposing that the isodensities in this region are oblate ellipsoids, we found the equation that describes the observable polarization as a function of its parameters. If we assumed that the inclination of the axis of symmetry and the eccentricity of the envelope are constant and using a model for the mass ejection, we were able to study the evolution of the size and density of the region as a function of time.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

The Luminous Type Ic SN 1992ar at z=0.145

We present spectroscopic and photometric observations of SN1992ar, the more distant SN in the Calan/Tololo Survey. We compare its spectrum with those of nearby Type Ia and Ic SNe and conclude that the latter type is a better match to SN 1992ar. Using K-corrections based on the spectra of well observed Type Ic and Ia SNe we compute different possible rest frame light curves of SN 1992ar and compare them with those of representative SNe of each type observed in the nearby universe. From the photometry and the spectra, we are able to conclude that SN 1992ar cannot be matched by any known example of a Type Ia SN. Even though the data set collected is fairly complete (one spectrum and 10 photometric points), it is not possible to decide whether SN 1992ar was a fast Type Ic SN, like SN 1994I, or a slow one, like SN 1983V. The absolute V magnitudes at maximum implied by each of these possibilities are -19.2 and -20.2, respectively. The latter would make SN 1992ar one of the brightest SNe on record. SN 1992ar, hence, illustrates the problem of contamination faced by the high z Type Ia SNe samples whose luminosity distances are used to determine the cosmological parameters of the Universe. We present observational criteria to distinguish the two SN types when the SiII 6355 line is redshifted out of the sensitivity range of typical CCD detectors, and discuss the effect that these luminous Type Ic SNe would have on the measured cosmological parameters, if not removed from the High-z Type Ia SN samples.Comment: 40 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa

The Early Asymmetries of Supernova 2008D / XRF 080109

Spectropolarimetry of the Type Ib SN 2008D, associated with the XRF 080109, at two separate epochs, are presented. The epochs of these observations correspond to V-band light curve maximum and 15 days after light curve maximum (or 21 and 36 days after the XRF). We find SN 2008D to be significantly polarized, although the largest contribution is due to the interstellar polarization component of Q_ISP=0+/-0.1% and U_ISP=-1.2+/-0.1%. At the two epochs, the spectropolarimetry of SN 2008D is classified as being D1+L(HeI)+L(Ca II). The intrinsic polarization of continuum wavelength regions is <0.4%, at both epochs, implying an asymmetry of the photosphere of <10%. Similar to other Type Ibc SNe, such as 2005bf, 2006aj and 2007gr, we observed significant polarization corresponding to the spectral features of Ca II, He I, Mg I, Fe II and, possibly, O I 7774, about a close-to-spherically-symmetric photosphere. We introduce a new plot showing the chemically distinct line forming regions in the ejecta and comment on the apparent ubiquity of highly polarized high-velocity Ca II features in Type Ibc SNe. The polarization angle of Ca II IR triplet was significantly different, at both epochs, to those of the other species, suggesting high-velocity Ca II forms in a separate part of the ejecta. The apparent structure in the outer layers of SN 2008D has implications for the interpretation of the early-time X-ray emission associated with shock break-out. (abridged)Comment: ApJ Subm., 45 pages, 13 figure

Lightcurves of Type Ia Supernovae from Near the Time of Explosion

We present a set of 11 type Ia supernova (SN Ia) lightcurves with dense, pre-maximum sampling. These supernovae (SNe), in galaxies behind the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), were discovered by the SuperMACHO survey. The SNe span a redshift range of z = 0.11 - 0.35. Our lightcurves contain some of the earliest pre-maximum observations of SNe Ia to date. We also give a functional model that describes the SN Ia lightcurve shape (in our VR-band). Our function uses the "expanding fireball" model of Goldhaber et al. (1998) to describe the rising lightcurve immediately after explosion but constrains it to smoothly join the remainder of the lightcurve. We fit this model to a composite observed VR-band lightcurve of three SNe between redshifts of 0.135 to 0.165. These SNe have not been K-corrected or adjusted to account for reddening. In this redshift range, the observed VR-band most closely matches the rest frame V-band. Using the best fit to our functional description of the lightcurve, we find the time between explosion and observed VR-band maximum to be 17.6+-1.3(stat)+-0.07(sys) rest-frame days for a SN Ia with a VR-band Delta m_{-10} of 0.52mag. For the redshifts sampled, the observed VR-band time-of-maximum brightness should be the same as the rest-frame V-band maximum to within 1.1 rest-frame days.Comment: 35 pages, 18 figures, 15 tables; Higher quality PDF available at http://ctiokw.ctio.noao.edu/~sm/sm/SNrise/index.html; AJ accepte