The origin of the late-time luminosity of supernova 2011dh

Due to the small amount of hydrogen (≤0.1 M ⊙) remaining on the surface of their progenitors, SNe IIb are sensitive probes of the mass-loss processes of massive stars toward the ends of their lives, including the role of binarity. We report late-time Hubble Space Telescope observations of SN 2011dh in M51, and a brief period of rebrightening and plateau in the photometric light curve, from 1.8 to 6.2 yr after the explosion. These observations exclude the role of circumstellar interaction, however, a slow rotating magnetar, a significant quantity of radioactive elements, or a light echo could be responsible for the late-time luminosity observed at t > 1000 days. If the late-time light curve is powered by the decay of radioactive elements, SN 2011dh is required to have produced ~2.6 × 10−3 M ⊙ of 44Ti, which is significantly in excess of the amount inferred from earlier nebular spectra of SN 2011dh itself or measured in the Cas A SN remnant. The evolution of the brightness and the color of the late-time light curve also supports the role of a light echo originating from dust with a preferred geometry of a disk of extent ~1.8 to ~2.7 pc from the SN, consistent with a wind-blown bubble. Accounting for the long-term photometric evolution due to a light echo, the flux contribution from a surviving binary companion at ultraviolet wavelengths can be isolated and corresponds to a star of ~9–10 M ⊙

The resolved stellar populations around 12 Type IIP supernovae

Core-collapse supernovae are found in regions associated with recent massive star formation. The stellar population observed around the location of a SN can be used as a probe of the origins of the progenitor star. We apply a Bayesian mixture model to fit isochrones to the massive star population around twelve Type IIP SNe, for which constraints on the progenitors are also available from fortuitous pre-explosion images. Using the high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3, we study the massive star population found within 100pc of each our target SNe. For most of the SNe in our sample, we find that there are multiple age components in the surrounding stellar populations. In the cases of SNe~2003gd and 2005cs, we find that the progenitor does not come from the youngest stellar population component and, in fact, these relatively low mass progenitors ($\sim 8M_{\odot}$) are found in close proximity to stars as massive as $15$ and $50-60M_{\odot}$, respectively. Overall, the field extinction (Galactic and host) derived for these populations is $\sim 0.3\,\mathrm{mags}$ higher than the extinction that was generally applied in previously reported progenitor analyses. We also find evidence, in particular for SN~2004dj, for significant levels of differential extinction. Our analysis for SN~2008bk suggests a significantly lower extinction for the population than the progenitor, but the lifetime of the population and mass determined from pre-explosion images agree. Overall, assuming that the appropriate age component can be suitably identified from the multiple stellar population components present, we find that our Bayesian approach to studying resolved stellar populations can match progenitor masses determined from direct imaging to within $\pm 3M_{\odot}$

A high mass progenitor for the Type Ic Supernova 2007gr inferred from its environment

We present an analysis of late-time Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) observations of the site of the Type Ic supernova (SN) 2007gr in NGC 1058. The SN is barely recovered in the late-time WFPC2 observations, while a possible detection in the later WFC3 data is debatable. These observations were used to conduct a multiwavelength study of the surrounding stellar population. We fit spatial profiles to a nearby bright source that was previously proposed to be a host cluster. We find that, rather than being an extended cluster, it is consistent with a single point-like object. Fitting stellar models to the observed spectral energy distribution of this source, we conclude it is A1-A3 Yellow Supergiant, possibly corresponding to a star with MZAMS = 40 M⊙. SN 2007gr is situated in a massive star association, with diameter of ≈300 pc. We present a Bayesian scheme to determine the properties of the surrounding massive star population, in conjunction with the Padova isochrones. We find that the stellar population, as observed in either the WFC3 and WFPC2 observations, can be well fit by two age distributions with mean ages: ∼6.3 Myr and ∼50 Myr. The stellar population is clearly dominated by the younger age solution (by factors of 3.5 and 5.7 from the WFPC2 and WFC3 observations, respectively), which corresponds to the lifetime of a star with MZAMS ∼ 30 M⊙. This is strong evidence in favour of the hypothesis that SN 2007gr arose from a massive progenitor star, possibly capable of becoming a Wolf–Rayet star

The changing-type SN 2014C may come from an 11-M⊙ star stripped by binary interaction and violent eruption

SN 2014C was an unprecedented supernova (SN) that displayed a metamorphosis from Type Ib to Type IIn over ∼200 d. This transformation is consistent with a helium star having exploded in a cavity surrounded by a dense shell of the progenitor’s stripped hydrogen envelope. For at least 5 yr post-explosion, the ejecta continued to interact with an outer, extended component of circumstellar medium (CSM) that was ejected even before the dense shell. It is still unclear, however, what kind of progenitor could have undergone such a complicated mass-loss history before it produced this peculiar SN. In this paper, we report a new analysis of SN 2014C’s host star cluster based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By carefully fitting its spectral energy distribution (SED), we derive a precise cluster age of 20.0+3.5−2.6 Myr, which corresponds to the progenitor’s lifetime assuming coevolution. Combined with binary stellar evolution models, we find that SN 2014C’s progenitor may have been an ∼11-M⊙ star in a relatively wide binary system. The progenitor’s envelope was partially stripped by Case C or Case BC mass transfer via binary interaction, followed by a violent eruption that ejected the last hydrogen layer before terminal explosion. Thus, SN 2014C, in common with SNe 2006jc and 2015G, may be a third example that violent eruptions, with mass-loss rates matching luminous blue variable (LBV) giant eruptions, can also occur in much lower mass massive stars if their envelopes are partially or completely stripped in interacting binaries

Pan-chromatic photometric classification of supernovae from multiple surveys and transfer learning for future surveys

Time-domain astronomy is entering a new era as wide-field surveys with higher cadences allow for more discoveries than ever before. The field has seen an increased use of machine learning and deep learning for automated classification of transients into established taxonomies. Training such classifiers requires a large enough and representative training set, which is not guaranteed for new future surveys such as the Vera Rubin Observatory, especially at the beginning of operations. We present the use of Gaussian processes to create a uniform representation of supernova light curves from multiple surveys, obtained through the Open Supernova Catalog for supervised classification with convolutional neural networks. We also investigate the use of transfer learning to classify light curves from the Photometric LSST Astronomical Time Series Classification Challenge (PLAsTiCC) data set. Using convolutional neural networks to classify the Gaussian process generated representation of supernova light curves from multiple surveys, we achieve an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC) score of 0.859 for classification into Types Ia, Ibc, and II. We find that transfer learning improves the classification accuracy for the most under-represented classes by up to 18 per cent when classifying PLAsTiCC light curves, and is able to achieve an AUC score of 0.946 ± 0.001 when including photometric redshifts for classification into six classes (Ia, Iax, Ia-91bg, Ibc, II, and SLSN-I). We also investigate the usefulness of transfer learning when there is a limited labelled training set to see how this approach can be used for training classifiers in future surveys at the beginning of operations

First systematic high-precision survey of bright supernovae

Rapid variability before and near the maximum brightness of supernovae has the potential to provide a better understanding of nearly every aspect of supernovae, from the physics of the explosion up to their progenitors and the circumstellar environment. Thanks to modern time-domain optical surveys, which are discovering supernovae in the early stage of their evolution, we have the unique opportunity to capture their intraday behavior before maximum. We present high-cadence photometric monitoring (on the order of seconds-minutes) of the optical light curves of three Type Ia and two Type II SNe over several nights before and near maximum light, using the fast imagers available on the 2.3 m Aristarchos telescope at Helmos Observatory and the 1.2 m telescope at Kryoneri Observatory in Greece. We applied differential aperture photometry techniques using optimal apertures and we present reconstructed light curves after implementing a seeing correction and the Trend Filtering Algorithm (TFA, Kovács et al. 2005, MNRAS, 356, 557). TFA yielded the best results, achieving a typical precision between 0.01 and 0.04 mag. We did not detect significant bumps with amplitudes greater than 0.05 mag in any of the SNe targets in the VR-, R-, and I-bands light curves obtained. We measured the intraday slope for each light curve, which ranges between −0.37−0.36 mag day−1 in broadband VR, −0.19−0.31 mag day−1 in R band, and −0.13−0.10 mag day−1 in I band. We used SNe light curve fitting templates for SN 2018gv, SN 2018hgc and SN 2018hhn to photometrically classify the light curves and to calculate the time of maximum. We provide values for the maximum of SN 2018zd after applying a low-order polynomial fit and SN 2018hhn for the first time. We conclude that optimal aperture photometry in combination with TFA provides the highest-precision light curves for SNe that are relatively well separated from the centers of their host galaxies. This work aims to inspire the use of ground-based, high-cadence and high-precision photometry to study SNe with the purpose of revealing clues and properties of the explosion environment of both core-collapse and Type Ia supernovae, the explosion mechanisms, binary star interaction and progenitor channels. We suggest monitoring early supernovae light curves in hotter (bluer) bands with a cadence of hours as a promising way of investigating the post-explosion photometric behavior of the progenitor stars

Whatever happened to the progenitors of supernovae 2008cn, 2009kr and 2009md?

We present new late-time, high-resolution observations of the sites of supernovae (SNe) 2008cn, 2009kr and 2009md, acquired with the Hubble Space Telescope. In all instances, significant flux from the SNe is still recovered at late times. We show that the previous identification of the progenitor of SN 2008cn was actually a blend of two sources, whose locations are resolved in these new observations. We suggest that the progenitor of SN 2008cn was actually a red supergiant with Minit < 16 M⊙. In the late-time observations of SN 2009kr, we find that the pre-explosion source (previously thought to be a yellow supergiant) is most probably a small compact cluster with mass ∼6000 M⊙. In late-time F814W observations of the site of SN 2009md, we find a single point source with identical brightness to the pre-explosion source, suggesting some caution in assuming that the pre-explosion source was the progenitor

Origins of Type Ibn SNe 2006jc/2015G in interacting binaries and implications for pre-SN eruptions

Type Ibn supernovae (SNe Ibn) are intriguing stellar explosions whose spectra exhibit narrow helium lines with little hydrogen. They trace the presence of circumstellar material (CSM) formed via pre-SN eruptions of their stripped-envelope progenitors. Early work has generally assumed that SNe Ibn come from massive Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars via single-star evolution. In this paper, we report ultraviolet (UV) and optical observations of two nearby Type Ibn SNe 2006jc and 2015G conducted with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) at late times. A point source is detected at the position of SN 2006jc, and we confirm the conclusion of Maund et al. that it is the progenitor’s binary companion. Its position on the Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagram corresponds to a star that has evolved off the main sequence (MS); further analysis implies a low initial mass for the companion star (M2 ≤ 12.3+2.3−1.5 M⊙) and a secondary-to-primary initial mass ratio very close to unity (q = M2/M1 ∼ 1); the SN progenitor’s hydrogen envelope had been stripped through binary interaction. We do not detect the binary companion of SN 2015G. For both SNe, the surrounding stellar populations have relatively old ages and argue against any massive WR stars as their progenitors. These results suggest that SNe Ibn may have lower mass origins in interacting binaries. As a result, they also provide evidence that the giant eruptions commonly seen in massive luminous blue variables (LBVs) can also occur in much lower mass, stripped-envelope stars just before core collapse

The shape of SN 1993J re-analysed

SN 1993J is one of the best-studied Type IIb supernovae. Spectropolarimetric data analyses were published over two decades ago at a time when the field of supernova spectropolarimetry was in its infancy. Here, we present a new analysis of the spectropolarimetric data of SN 1993J and an improved estimate of its interstellar polarization (ISP) as well as a critical review of ISP removal techniques employed in the field. The polarization of SN 1993J is found to show significant alignment on the q − u plane, suggesting the presence of a dominant axis and therefore of continuum polarization. We also see strong line polarization features, including H β, He I λ5876, H α, He I λ6678, He I λ7065, and high velocity (HV) components of He I λ5876 and H α. SN 1993J is therefore the second example of a stripped-envelope supernova, alongside iPTF13bvn, with prominent HV helium polarization features, and the first to show a likely HV H α contribution. Overall, we determine that the observed features can be interpreted as the superposition of anisotropically distributed line forming regions over ellipsoidal ejecta. We cannot exclude the possibility of an off-axis energy source within the ejecta. These data demonstrate the rich structures that are inaccessible if solely considering the flux spectra but can be probed by spectropolarimetric observations. In future studies, the new ISP corrected data can be used in conjunction with 3D radiative transfer models to better map the geometry of the ejecta of SN 1993J

Spectropolarimetry of the 2012 outburst of SN 2009ip: A bi-polar explosion in a dense, disc-like CSM

We present a sequence of eight spectropolarimetric observations monitoring the geometric evolution of the late phase of the major 2012 outburst of SN 2009ip. These were acquired with the Focal Reducer and Low Dispersion Spectrograph polarimeter mounted on European Southern Observatory VLT. The continuum was polarized at 0.3-0.8 per cent throughout the observations, showing that the photosphere deviated substantially from spherical symmetry by 10-15 per cent. Significant line polarization is detected for both hydrogen and helium at high velocities. The similarity in the polarized signal between these elements indicates that they form in the same location in the ejecta. The line polarization (p ~ 1-1.5 per cent) at low velocities revealed the presence of a highly aspherical hydrogen- and helium-rich circumstellar medium (CSM). Monte Carlo simulations of the observed polarimetry were performed in an effort to constrain the shape of the CSM. The simulations imply that the polarimetry can be understood within the framework of a disc-like CSM inclined by 14° ± 2° out of the line of sight, obscuring the photosphere only at certain epochs. The varying temporal evolution of polarization at high and low velocities indicated that the fast-moving ejecta expanded with a preferred direction orthogonal to that of the CSM