SN 2019hcc: a Type II supernova displaying early O II lines

Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, as part of ePESSTO/ePESSTO+ (the extended Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects Survey). ePESSTO+ observations were obtained under ESO program ID 1103.D-0328 (PI: Inserra). EP would like to thank Stuart Sim for useful discussion on the working of TARDIS. This research made use of TARDIS, a community-developed software package for spectral synthesis in supernovae (Kerzendorf & Sim 2014; Kerzendorf et al. 2019). The development of TARDIS received support from the Google Summer of Code initiative and from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Summer of Code in Space program. TARDIS makes extensive use ofAstropy and PyNE. TWC acknowledges the funding provided by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the EUFunding underMarie SklodowskaCurie grant H2020-MSCA-IF-2018-842471. TMBwas funded by the Comisi ' on Nacional de Investigaci ' on Cient ' ifica y Tecnol ' ogica (CONICYT) PFCHA/DOCTORADOBECAS CHILE/2017-72180113. MG is supported by the Polish Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN) MAESTRO grant 2014/14/A/ST9/00121. MN is supported by a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellowship. ACK: LG was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 839090. This work has been partially supported by the Spanish grant PGC2018-095317-B-C21 within the European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER). GL is supported by a research grant (19054) from VILLUM FONDEN This work makes use of observations from the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) global telescope network. The LCO team is supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) grants AST1911225, AST-1911151, and NASA grant 80NSSC19K1639. This paper is also based on observations made with Swift (UVOT) and the Liverpool Telescope (LT). The Liverpool Telescope is operated on the island of La Palma by Liverpool John Moores University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de losMuchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). LCO data have been obtained via Optical Infrared Co-ordination Network for Astronomy (OPTICON) proposals (IDs: SUPA2020B-002 OPTICON 20B/003 and SUPA2019B-007 OPTICON 19B-009). The OPTICON project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730890. Thiswork hasmade use of data from the AsteroidTerrestrialimpact Last Alert System (ATLAS) project. The ATLAS project is primarily funded to search for near earth asteroids through NASA grants NN12AR55G, 80NSSC18K0284, and 80NSSC18K1575; byproducts of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) search include images and catalogs from the survey area. This work was partially funded by Kepler/K2 grant J1944/80NSSC19K0112 and HST GO-15889, and STFC grants ST/T000198/1 and ST/S006109/1. The ATLAS science products have been made possible through the contributions of the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, the Queen's University Belfast, the Space Telescope Science Institute, the South African Astronomical Observatory, and The Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), Chile. This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. Based on observations obtained at the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, which is a joint project of the Minist ' erio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovaces (MCTI/LNA) do Brasil, the US National Science Foundation`s NOIRLab, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and Michigan State University (MSU). This work has made use of data from the Gamma-ray Burst Optical/Near-infrared Detector (GROND) instrument at the 2.2 MPE telescope at La Silla, Chile. Part of the funding for GROND (both hardware as well as personnel) was generously granted from the Leibniz-Prize to Prof. G. Hasinger (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grant HA 1850/28-1). GROND data were obtained under European Southern Observatory (ESO) programme ID 0103.A-9099. This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), which is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and operated by the California Institute of Technology. This research made use of Photutils, an Astropy package for detection and photometry of astronomical sources (Bradley et al. 2020). Based on data products from observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla or Paranal Observatories under ESO programme ID 179.A-2010. IRAF is distributed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. This research made use of NUMPY (Harris et al. 2020), MATPLOTLIB (Hunter 2007), and ASTROPY (Astropy Collaboration 2013, 2018).We present optical spectroscopy together with ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared photometry of SN 2019hcc, which resides in a host galaxy at redshift 0.044, displaying a sub-solar metallicity. The supernova spectrum near peak epoch shows a ‘w’ shape at around 4000 Å which is usually associated with OII lines and is typical of Type I superluminous supernovae. SN 2019hcc post-peak spectra show a well-developed Hα P-Cygni profile from 19 d past maximum and its light curve, in terms of its absolute peak luminosity and evolution, resembles that of a fast-declining Hydrogen-rich supernova (SN IIL). The object does not show any unambiguous sign of interaction as there is no evidence of narrow lines in the spectra or undulations in the light curve. Our TARDIS spectral modelling of the first spectrum shows that carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (CNO) at 19 000 K reproduce the ‘w’ shape and suggests that a combination of non-thermally excited CNO and metal lines at 8000K could reproduce the feature seen at 4000 Å. The Bolometric light-curve modelling reveals that SN 2019hcc could be fit with a magnetar model, showing a relatively strong magnetic field (B > 3 × 1014 G), which matches the peak luminosity and rise time without powering up the light curve to superluminous luminosities. The high-energy photons produced by the magnetar would then be responsible for the detected OII lines. As a consequence, SN 2019hcc shows that a ‘w’ shape profile at around 4000 Å, usually attributed to OII, is not only shown in superluminous supernovae and hence it should not be treated as the sole evidence of the belonging to such a supernova type.European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, ePESSTO/ePESSTO+ extended Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects Survey). ePESSTO+ observations were obtained under ESO program) 1103.D-0328Google IncorporatedEuropean Space Agency's (ESA) Summer of Code in Space programAlexander von Humboldt FoundationEU under Marie Sklodowska-Curie H2020-MSCA-IF-2018-842471Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT) CHILE/2017-72180113Polish Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN) MAESTRO grant 2014/14/A/ST9/00121Royal Astronomical Society Research FellowshipSKA South Africa 839090European Commission PGC2018-095317-B-C21VILLUM FONDEN 19054National Science Foundation (NSF) AST-1911225 AST-1911151National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) 80NSSC19K1639 NN12AR55G 80NSSC18K0284 80NSSC18K1575UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme 730890Kepler/K2 grant J1944/80NSSC19K0112 HST GO-15889UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) ST/T000198/1 ST/S006109/1Gaia Multilateral AgreementGRONDGerman Research Foundation (DFG) HA 1850/28-1European Southern Observatory (ESO) programme 0103.A-9099National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)ESO Telescopes at the La Silla or Paranal Observatories under ESO programme 179.A-201

No surviving companion in Kepler's supernova

We have surveyed Kepler's supernova remnant in search of the companion star of the explosion. We have gone as deep as 2.6 solar luminosities in the stars within 20% of the radius of the remnant. We use FLAMES at the VLT-UT2 telescope to obtain high resolution spectra of the stellar candidates selected from HST images. The resulting set of stellar parameters suggests that these stars come from a rather ordinary mixture of field stars (mostly giants). A few of the stars seem to have low [Fe/H] (< -1) and they are consistent with being metal-poor giants. The radial velocities and rotational velocities vrot sin i are very well determined. There are no fast rotating stars as vrot sin i < 20 km/s. The radial velocities from the spectra and the proper motions determined from HST images are compatible with those expected from the Besan\c{c}on model of the Galaxy. The strong limits placed on luminosity suggest that this supernova could have arisen either from the core-degenerate scenario or from the double-degenerate scenario.Comment: ApJ accepted, 7 figures and 7 table

Studying the environment of AT2018cow with MUSE

AT2018cow was the nearest and best studied example of a new breed of extra-galactic, luminous and rapidly-evolving transient. Both the progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms of these rapid transients remain a mystery { the energetics, spectral signa- tures, and timescales make them challenging to interpret in established classes of super- novae and tidal disruption events. The rich, multi-wavelength data-set of AT2018cow has still left several interpretations viable to explain the nature of this event. In this paper we analyse integral- eld spectroscopic data of the host galaxy, CGCG137-068, to compare environmental constraints with leading progenitor models. We nd the explosion site of AT2018cow to be very typical of core-collapse supernovae (known to form from stars with MZAMS 8-25 M ), and infer a young stellar population age at the explosion site of few 10Myr, at slightly sub-solar metallicity. When comparing to expectations for exotic intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) tidal disruption events, we nd no evidence for a potential host system of the IMBH. In particular, there are no abrupt changes in metallicity or kinematics in the vicinity of the explosion site, ar- guing against the presence of a distinct host system. The proximity of AT2018cow to strong star-formation in the host galaxy makes us favour a massive stellar progenitor for this event.Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) ST/P000495/1European Union (EU) 839090European Union (EU) PGC2018-095317-B-C21Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) CB-285080 FC-2016-01-1916(UNAM) project PAPIIT-DGAPA-IN100519European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programme 0103.D-0440(A

Type II supernova spectral diversity, II: spectroscopic and photometric correlations

We present an analysis of observed trends and correlations between a large range of spectral and photometric parameters of more than 100 type II supernovae (SNe II), during the photospheric phase. We define a common epoch for all SNe of 50 days post-explosion, where the majority of the sample is likely to be under similar physical conditions. Several correlation matrices are produced to search for interesting trends between more than 30 distinct light-curve and spectral properties that characterize the diversity of SNe II. Overall, SNe with higher expansion velocities are brighter, have more rapidly declining light curves, shorter plateau durations, and higher 56Ni masses. Using a larger sample than previous studies, we argue that "Pd" - the plateau duration from the transition of the initial to "plateau" decline rates to the end of the "plateau" - is a better indicator of the hydrogen envelope mass than the traditionally used optically thick phase duration (OPTd: explosion epoch to end of plateau). This argument is supported by the fact that Pd also correlates with s 3, the light-curve decline rate at late times: lower Pd values correlate with larger s 3 decline rates. Large s 3 decline rates are likely related to lower envelope masses, which enables gamma-ray escape. We also find a significant anticorrelation between Pd and s 2 (the plateau decline rate), confirming the long standing hypothesis that faster declining SNe II (SNe IIL) are the result of explosions with lower hydrogen envelope masses and therefore have shorter Pd values.Fil: Gutiérrez, Claudia P.. Universidad de Chile; Chile. University of Southampton; Reino Unido. European Southern Observatory Santiago; Chile. Millennium Institute Of Astrophysics; ChileFil: Anderson, Joseph P.. European Southern Observatory Santiago; ChileFil: Hamuy, Mario. Millennium Institute Of Astrophysics; Chile. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: González Gaitan, Santiago. Universidad de Chile; Chile. Universidade de Lisboa; Portugal. Millennium Institute Of Astrophysics; ChileFil: Galbany, Lluis. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Estados Unidos. University of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Dessart, Luc. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Stritzinger, Maximilian D.. University Aarhus; DinamarcaFil: Phillips, Mark M.. Las Campanas Observatory; ChileFil: Morrell, Nidia. Las Campanas Observatory; ChileFil: Folatelli, Gaston. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentin

The Core Collapse Supernova Rate from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey

We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II Supernova Survey (SDSS-II SNS) data to measure the volumetric core collapse supernova (CCSN) rate in the redshift range (0.03<z<0.09). Using a sample of 89 CCSN we find a volume-averaged rate of (1.06 +/- 0.19) x 10**(-4)/(yr Mpc**3) at a mean redshift of 0.072 +/- 0.009. We measure the CCSN luminosity function from the data and consider the implications on the star formation history.Comment: Minor corrections to references and affiliations to conform with published versio

Discovery of distant RR Lyrae stars in the Milky Way using DECam

We report the discovery of distant RR Lyrae stars, including the most distant known in the Milky Way, using data taken in the $g-$band with the Dark Energy Camera as part of the High cadence Transient Survey (HiTS; 2014 campaign). We detect a total of 173 RR Lyrae stars over a ~120 deg^2 area, including both known RR Lyrae and new detections. The heliocentric distances d_H of the full sample range from 9 to >200 kpc, with 18 of them beyond 90 kpc. We identify three sub-groups of RR Lyrae as members of known systems: the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy, for which we report 46 new discoveries, and the ultra-faint dwarf galaxies Leo IV and Leo V. Following an MCMC methodology, we fit spherical and ellipsoidal profiles of the form rho(R) ~ R^n to the radial density distribution of RR Lyrae in the Galactic halo. The best fit corresponds to the spherical case, for which we obtain a simple power-law index of n=-4.17^{+0.18}_{-0.20}, consistent with recent studies made with samples covering shorter distances. The pulsational properties of the outermost RR Lyrae in the sample (d_H>90 kpc) differ from the ones in the halo population at closer distances. The distribution of the stars in a Period-Amplitude diagram suggest they belong to Oosterhoff-intermediate or Oosterhoff II groups, similar to what is found in the ultra-faint dwarf satellites around the Milky Way. The new distant stars discovered represent an important addition to the few existing tracers of the Milky Way potential in the outer halo.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

A possible surviving companion of the SN Ia in the Galactic SNR G272.2-3.2

We use the {\it Gaia} EDR3 to explore the Galactic supernova remnant SNR G272.2-3.2, produced by the explosion of a Type Ia supernova (SNIa), about 7,500 years ago, to search for a surviving companion. From the abundances in the SNR ejecta, G272.2-3.2 is a normal SN Ia. The {\it Gaia} parallaxes allow to select the stars located within the estimated distance range of the SNR, and the {\it Gaia} proper motions to study their kinematics. From the {\it Gaia} EDR3 photometry, we construct the HR diagram of the selected sample, which we compare with the theoretical predictions for the evolution of possible star companions of SNIa. We can discard several proposed types of companions by combining kinematics and photometry. We can also discard hypervelocity stars. We focus our study on the kinematically most peculiar star, {\it Gaia} EDR3 5323900215411075328 (hereafter MV-G272), a 8.9 $\sigma$ outlier in proper motion. It is of M1-M2 stellar type. Its trajectory on the sky locates it at the center of the SNR, 6,000--8,000 years ago, a unique characteristic among the the sample. Spectra allow a stellar parameters determination and a chemical abundance analysis. In conclusion, we have a candidate to be the surviving companion of the SN Ia that resulted in SNR G272.2-3.2. It is supported by its kinematical characteristics and its trajectory within the SNR. This opens the possibility of a single-degenerate scenario for a SN Ia with an M-type dwarf companion.Comment: 35 pages, 19 Figures, 5 Tables, published as ApJ 947, 90

Serendipitous discovery of RR Lyrae stars in the Leo V ultra-faint galaxy

During the analysis of RR Lyrae stars discovered in the High cadence Transient Survey (HiTS) taken with the Dark Energy Camera at the 4-m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, we found a group of three very distant, fundamental mode pulsator RR Lyrae (type ab). The location of these stars agrees with them belonging to the Leo V ultra-faint satellite galaxy, for which no variable stars have been reported to date. The heliocentric distance derived for Leo V based on these stars is 173 +/- 5 kpc. The pulsational properties (amplitudes and periods) of these stars locate them within the locus of the Oosterhoff II group, similar to most other ultra-faint galaxies with known RR Lyrae stars. This serendipitous discovery shows that distant RR Lyrae stars may be used to search for unknown faint stellar systems in the outskirts of the Milky Way.Comment: Accepted in ApJ Letter