The Fast and Furious Decay of the Peculiar Type Ic Supernova 2005ek
M. R. Drout, A. M. Soderberg, P. A. Mazzali, J. T. Parrent, R. Margutti, D. Milisavljevic, N. E. Sanders, R. Chornock, R. J. Foley, R. P. Kirshner, A. V. Filipp… 展开作者
M. R. Drout, A. M. Soderberg, P. A. Mazzali, J. T. Parrent, R. Margutti, D. Milisavljevic, N. E. Sanders, R. Chornock, R. J. Foley, R. P. Kirshner, A. V. Filippenko, W. Li, P. J. Brown, S. B. Cenko, S. Chakraborti, P. Challis, A. Friedman, M. Ganeshalingam, M. Hicken, C. Jensen, M. Modjaz, H. B. Perets, J. M. Silverman, D. S. Wong
We present extensive multi-wavelength observations of the extremely rapidly declining Type Ic supernova, SN 2005ek. Reaching a peak magnitude of M_R = -17.3 and decaying by ~3 mag in the first 15 days post-maximum, SN 2005ek is among the fastest Type I supernovae observed to date. The spectra of SN 2005ek closely resemble those of normal SN Ic, but with an accelerated evolution. There is evidence for the onset of nebular features at only nine days post-maximum. Spectroscopic modeling reveals an ejecta mass of ~0.3 Msun that is dominated by oxygen (~80%), while the pseudo-bolometric light curve is consistent with an explosion powered by ~0.03 Msun of radioactive Ni-56. Although previous rapidly evolving events (e.g., SN 1885A, SN 1939B, SN 2002bj, SN 2010X) were hypothesized to be produced by the detonation of a helium shell on a white dwarf, oxygen-dominated ejecta are difficult to reconcile with this proposed mechanism. We find that the properties of SN 2005ek are consistent with either the edge-lit double detonation of a low-mass white dwarf or the iron-core collapse of a massive star, stripped by binary interaction. However, if we assume that the strong spectroscopic similarity of SN 2005ek to other SN Ic is an indication of a similar progenitor channel, then a white-dwarf progenitor becomes very improbable. SN 2005ek may be one of the lowest mass stripped-envelope core-collapse explosions ever observed. We find that the rate of such rapidly declining Type I events is at least 1-3% of the normal SN Ia rate.
Fast and furious -- High-velocity features of Ca and Si in the spectra of Type Ia supernovae
HUN-REN CSFK Konkoly Observatory（匈牙利科学院研究中心孔科利天文台）；ELTE Eötvös Loránd University（厄特沃什·罗兰大学）；University of Szeged（塞格德大学）；University of Texas at Austin（得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）
We have obtained a deep, sub-arcsecond resolution X-ray image of the nuclear region of the luminous galaxy merger NGC 6240 with Chandra, which resolves the X-ray emission from the pair of active nuclei and the diffuse hot gas in great detail. We detect extended hard X-ray emission from kT~6 keV (~70 million K) hot gas over a spatial scale of 5 kpc, indicating the presence of fast shocks with velocity of ~2200 km/s. For the first time we obtain the spatial distribution of this highly ionized gas emitting FeXXV, which shows a remarkable correspondence to the large scale morphology of H_2(1-0) S(…
The spectrum of a supernova is a summation of numerous overlapping atomic line signatures. Consequently, empirical measurements are limited in application when compound features are assumed to be due to one or two spectral lines. Here I address matters of spectroscopic boundaries between normal and peculiar type I supernovae using multi-component empirical metrics. I discuss some obstacles faced when using supernova spectra to pair model with data and I demonstrate how spectrum synthesis can benefit from fairly complete observational coverage in wavelength and time.
Here we present previously unpublished optical spectra of supernova (SN) 2001ig, a Type IIb SN, from about a week after explosion until nearly one year later. The earliest spectrum consists of only a few broad absorption features, but soon more common Type II SN features including hydrogen P-Cygni profiles and helium absorption become apparent. At later times, as the H features fade and the He I absorption becomes more prominent, we observe the SN to transition from a Type II to a Type Ib. Finally, observations after 250 days past explosion show a nebular-phase SN spectrum with one of the larg…
Several recently discovered peculiar type Ia supernovae seem to demand an altogether new formation theory that might help explain the puzzling dissimilarities between them and the standard type Ia supernovae. The most striking aspect of the observational analysis is the necessity of invoking super-Chandrasekhar white dwarfs having masses ~ 2.1-2.8M_sun, M_sun being the mass of Sun, as their most probable progenitors. Strongly magnetized white dwarfs having super-Chandrasekhar masses were already established to be potential candidates for the progenitors of peculiar type Ia supernovae. Owing to…
We present a new photometric identification technique for SN 1991bg-like type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), i.e. objects with light-curve characteristics such as later primary maxima and absence of secondary peak in redder filters. This method is capable of selecting out this sub-group from the normal type Ia population. Furthermore, we find that recently identified peculiar sub-types such as SNe Iax and super-Chandrasekhar SNe Ia have similar photometric characteristics as 91bg-like SNe Ia, namely the absence of secondary maxima and shoulders at longer wavelengths, and can also be classified with o…
What makes a supernova truly `peculiar?' In this chapter we attempt to address this question by tracing the history of the use of `peculiar' as a descriptor of non-standard supernovae back to the original binary spectroscopic classification of Type I vs. Type II proposed by Minkowski (1941). A handful of noteworthy examples (including SN 2012au, SN 2014C, iPTF14hls, and iPTF15eqv) are highlighted to illustrate a general theme: classes of supernovae that were once thought to be peculiar are later seen as logical branches of standard events. This is not always the case, however, and we discuss A…
The young shell-type supernova remnant RCW 103 has peculiar properties in the X-ray morphology obtained with Chandra. The southeastern shell is more brighter in the X-rays, and the curved border of the shell in this region is more flatten than the other part. We investigate the formation of the peculiar periphery of the supernova remnant RCW 103 using 3D hydrodynamical simulation. Assuming that the supernova ejecta has been evolved in the medium with a density gradient, the detected shape of the periphery can be generally reproduced. For RCW 103, with the ejecta mass of $3.0~M_{\odot}$, the de…
Supernova remnant (SNR) G309.2-0.6 has a peculiar radio morphology with two bright ears to the southwest and northeast, although the main shell outside the ears is roughly circular. Based on an earlier proposal that the supernova ejecta has a jet component with extra energy, the dynamical evolution of the remnant is solved using 3D hydrodynamical (HD) simulation to investigate the formation of the periphery of the remnant. Assuming the ejecta with a kinetic energy of $10^{51}$\,erg and a mass of $3~\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ evolved in a uniform ambient medium for a time of $\sim 4000$\,yr and the je…
We present optical observations of a SN 2002cx-like supernova SN 2013en in UGC 11369, spanning from a phase near maximum light (t= +1 d) to t= +60 d with respect to the R-band maximum. Adopting a distance modulus of mu=34.11 +/- 0.15 mag and a total extinction (host galaxy+Milky Way) of $A_V \sim1.5$ mag, we found that SN 2013en peaked at $M(R)\sim -18.6$ mag, which is underluminous compared to the normal SNe Ia. The near maximum spectra show lines of Si II, Fe II, Fe III, Cr II, Ca II and other intermediate-mass and iron group elements which all have lower expansion velocities (i.e., ~ 6000 k…
We examine the bolometric lightcurves of five Type II-P supernovae (SNe 1998A, 2000cb, 2006V, 2006au and 2009E) which are thought to originate from blue supergiant progenitors using a new python package named SuperBoL. With this code, we calculate SNe lightcurves using three different techniques common in the literature: the quasi-bolometric method, which integrates the observed photometry, the direct integration method, which additionally corrects for unobserved flux in the UV and IR, and the bolometric correction method, which uses correlations between observed colors and V-band bolometric c…
iPTF14atg, a subluminous peculiar Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) similar to SN 2002es, is the first SN Ia for which a strong UV flash was observed in the early-time light curves. This has been interpreted as evidence for a single-degenerate (SD) progenitor system where such a signal is expected from interactions between the SN ejecta and the non-degenerate companion star. Here, we compare synthetic observables of multi-dimensional state-of-the-art explosion models for different progenitor scenarios to the light curves and spectra of iPTF14atg. From our models, we have difficulties explaining the sp…
SN2006oz is a super-luminous supernova with a mysterious bright precursor that has resisted explanation in standard models. However, such a precursor has been predicted in the dual-shock quark nova (dsQN) model of super-luminous supernovae -- the precursor is the SN event while the main light curve of the SLSN is powered by the Quark-Nova (QN; explosive transition of the neutron star to a quark star). As the SN is fading, the QN re-energizes the SN ejecta, producing a "double-humped" light curve. In this paper, we show the dsQN model successfully reproduces the observed light curve of SN2006oz…
Although type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are very useful in many astrophysical fields, their exact progenitor nature is still unclear. A basic method to distinguish the different progenitor models is to search the signal from the single degenerate (SD) model, e.g. the signal for the existence of a non-degenerate companion before or after supernova explosion. Observationally, some SNe Ia show such signal, while the others do not. Here, we propose a universal model to explain these observations based on the spin-up/spin-down model, in which a white dwarf (WD) will experience a spin-down phase before…
Tycho's supernova remnant (SNR) has a periphery which clearly deviates from spherical shape bash on the X-ray and radio observations. The forward shock from the southeast to the north of the remnant has a relatively deformed outline with a depression in the east, although in the west it is generally round and smooth. Moreover, at some locations of the shell, the supernova ejecta distributes closely to the forward shock to produce protrusions. Using 3D hydrodynamical simulation, the dynamical evolution of the supernova ejecta in an inhomogeneous medium and the formation process of the profile o…
Recent astrophysics observation reveals the existence of some super luminous type Ia supernovae. One natural explanation of such a peculiar phenomenon is to require the progenitor of such a supernova to be a highly super-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf. Along this line, in this paper, we propose a possible mechanism to explain this phenomenon based on a charged white dwarf. In particular, by choosing suitable new variables and a representative charge distribution, an analytic solution is obtained. The stability issue is also discussed, remarkably, it turns out that the charged white dwarf confi…
We present the Democratic Samples of Supernovae (DSS), a compilation of 775 low-redshift Type Ia and II supernovae (SNe Ia & II), of which 137 SN Ia distances are derived via the newly developed snapshot distance method. Using the objects in the DSS as tracers of the peculiar-velocity field, we compare against the corresponding reconstruction from the 2M++ galaxy redshift survey. Our analysis -- which takes special care to properly weight each DSS subcatalogue and cross-calibrate the relative distance scales between them -- results in a measurement of the cosmological parameter combination $fσ…
We perform hydrodynamical calculations of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) with low explosion energies. These SNe do not have enough energy to eject the whole progenitor and most of the progenitor falls back to the central remnant. We show that such fallback SNe can have a variety of light curves (LCs) but their photospheric velocities can only have some limited values with lower limits. We also perform calculations of nucleosynthesis and LCs of several fallback SN model, and find that a fallback SN from the progenitor with a main-sequence mass of 13 Msun can account for the properties of the pe…
Type Ia supernovae, sparked off by exploding white dwarfs of mass close to Chandrasekhar limit, play the key role to understand the expansion rate of universe. However, recent observations of several peculiar type Ia supernovae argue for its progenitor mass to be significantly super-Chandrasekhar. We show that strongly magnetized white dwarfs not only can violate the Chandrasekhar mass limit significantly, but exhibit a different mass limit. We establish from foundational level that the generic mass limit of white dwarfs is 2.58 solar mass. This explains the origin of over-luminous peculiar ty…
Binary stellar evolution has been studied as important pathway to initiate various transient events like supernovae (SNe). Although the common envelope (CE) in a binary, outcomes of the CE and conditions for the SN explosion during the CE phase are uncertain, it has been suggested that SN explosions can be triggered during the CE phase. In this work, we explore formation and evolution routes of carbon/oxygen (CO) WDs binaries in order to investigate mergers of CO WDs and cores of non-degenerate stars during the CE phase as possible origins for SNe under the core merger detonation (CMD) scenari…
The nature of the peculiar `Ca-rich' SN 2019ehk in the nearby galaxy M100 remains unclear. Its origin has been debated as either a stripped core-collapse supernova or a thermonuclear helium detonation event. Here, we present very late-time photometry of the transient obtained with the Keck I telescope at $\approx280$ days from peak light. Using the photometry to perform accurate flux calibration of a contemporaneous nebular phase spectrum, we measure an [O I] luminosity of $(0.19-1.08)\times10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and [Ca II] luminosity of $(2.7-15.6)\times10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$ over the range of…
Observations of several peculiar, under- and over-luminous type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) argue for exploding masses widely different from the Chandrasekhar-limit. We explore the modification to Einstein's gravity in white dwarfs for the first time in the literature, which shows that depending on the (density dependent) modified gravity parameter $α$, chosen for the present purpose of representation, limiting mass of white dwarfs could be significantly sub- as well as super-Chandrasekhar. Hence, this unifies the apparently disjoint classes of SNeIa, establishing the importance of modified Einstein…
With the advent of high cadence, all-sky automated surveys, supernovae (SNe) are now discovered closer than ever to their dates of explosion. However, young pre-maximum light follow-up spectra of Type Ic supernovae (SNe Ic), probably arising from the most stripped massive stars, remain rare despite their importance. In this paper we present a set of 49 optical spectra observed with the Las Cumbres Observatory through the Global Supernova Project for 6 SNe Ic, including a total of 17 pre-maximum spectra, of which 8 are observed more than a week before V-band maximum light. This dataset increase…
Ever since the observation of peculiar over-luminous type Ia supernovae (SNeIa), exploring possible violations of the canonical Chandrasekhar mass-limit (CML) has become a pressing research area of modern astrophysics. Since its first detection in 2003, more than a dozen of peculiar over-luminous SNeIa has been detected, but the true nature of the underlying progenitors is still under dispute. Furthermore, there are also under-luminous SNeIa whose progenitor masses appear to be well below the CML (sub-Chandrasekhar progenitors). These observations call into question how sacrosanct the CML is. …
Supernova remnants (SNRs) have long been considered as one of the most promising sources of Galactic cosmic rays. In the SNR paradigm, petaelectronvolt (PeV) proton acceleration may only be feasible at the early evolution stage, lasting a few hundred years, when the SNR shock speed is high. While evidence supporting the acceleration of PeV protons in young SNRs has yet to be discovered, X-ray synchrotron emission is an important indicator of fast shock. We here report the first discovery of X-ray synchrotron emission from the possibly middle-aged SNR G106.3+2.7, implying that this SNR is still…
We present a moderate-resolution spectrum of the peculiar Type II supernova iPTF14hls taken on day 1153 after discovery. This spectrum reveals the clear signature of shock interaction with dense circumstellar material (CSM). We suggest that this CSM interaction may be an important clue for understanding the extremely unusual photometric and spectroscopic evolution seen over the first 600 days of iPTF14hls. The late-time spectrum shows a double-peaked intermediate-width H-alpha line indicative of expansion speeds around 1000 km/s, with the double-peaked shape hinting at a disc-like geometry in …
Since 2012, we have initiated developing systematically the simplistic to rigorous models to prove that highly super-Chandrasekhar, as well as highly sub-Chandrasekhar, limiting mass white dwarfs are possible to exist. We show that the mass of highly magnetized or modified Einstein's gravity induced white dwarfs could be significantly super-Chandrasekhar and such white dwarfs could altogether have a different mass-limit. On the other hand, type Ia supernovae (SNeIa), a key to unravel the evolutionary history of the universe, are believed to be triggered in white dwarfs having mass close to the…
The abundance distribution in the ejecta of the peculiar slowly declining Type Ia supernova (SN\,Ia) SN\,1999aa is obtained by modelling a time series of optical spectra. Similar to SN\,1991T, SN\,1999aa was characterised by early-time spectra dominated by \FeIII\ features and a weak \SiII\,6355\,Å line, but it exhibited a high-velocity \CaII\,H\&K line and morphed into a spectroscopically normal SN\,Ia earlier. Three explosion models are investigated, yielding comparable fits. The innermost layers are dominated by $\sim 0.3$\,\Msun\ of neutron-rich stable Fe-group elements, mostly stable iron…
SN 2009kf is an exceptionally bright Type IIP Supernova (SN IIP) discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey. The $V$-band magnitude at the plateau phase is $M_{V} = -18.4$ mag, which is much brighter than typical SNe IIP. We propose that its unusual properties can be naturally explained, if we assume that there was an super-Eddington energy injection into the envelope in the last few years of the evolution before the SN explosion. Using a progenitor model with such an pre-SN energy injection, we can fit the observational data of SN 2009kf with the reasonable explosion energy of $E_{\mathrm{exp}} = …
We present the Suzaku results of a supernova remnant (SNR), G359.1-0.5 in the direction of the Galactic center region. From the SNR, we find prominent K-shell lines of highly ionized Si and S ions, together with unusual structures at 2.5-3.0 and 3.1-3.6 keV. No canonical SNR plasma model, in either ionization equilibrium or under-ionization, can explain the structures. The energies and shapes of the structures are similar to those of the radiative transitions of free electrons to the K-shell of He-like Si and S ions (radiative recombination continuum: RRC). The presence of the strong RRC struc…
We present photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the peculiar core-collapse SN 2013gc, spanning seven years of observations. The light curve shows an early maximum followed by a fast decline and a phase of almost constant luminosity. At +200 days from maximum, a brightening of 1 mag is observed in all bands, followed by a steep linear luminosity decline after +300 d. In archival images taken between 1.5 and 2.5 years before the explosion, a weak source is visible at the supernova location, with mag$\approx$20. The early supernova spectra show Balmer lines, with a narrow ($\sim$560 km s$^{-…
We present an optical spectrum of the energetic Type Ib supernova (SN) 2012au obtained at an unprecedented epoch of 6.2 years after explosion. Forbidden transition emission lines of oxygen and sulfur are detected with expansion velocities of 2300 km/s. The lack of narrow H Balmer lines suggests that interaction with circumstellar material is not a dominant source of the observed late-time emission. We also present a deep Chandra observation that reveals no X-ray emission down to a luminosity of L_X < 2 x 10^{38} erg/s (0.5-10 keV). Our findings are consistent with the notion that SN 2012au is …
Every supernova hitherto observed has been considered to be the terminal explosion of a star. Moreover, all supernovae with absorption lines in their spectra show those lines decreasing in velocity over time, as the ejecta expand and thin, revealing slower moving material that was previously hidden. In addition, every supernova that exhibits the absorption lines of hydrogen has one main light-curve peak, or a plateau in luminosity, lasting approximately 100 days before declining. Here we report observations of iPTF14hls, an event that has spectra identical to a hydrogen-rich core-collapse supe…
Some highly reddened Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) display low total-to-selective extinction ratios ($R_V \lesssim 2$) in comparison to that of typical Milky Way dust ($R_V \approx 3.3$), and polarization curves that rise steeply to blue wavelengths, with peak polarization values at short wavelengths ($λ_{\rm max} < 0.4$ $μ$m) in comparison to the typical Galactic values ($λ_{\rm max} \approx 0.55$ $μ$m). Understanding the source of these properties could provide insight into the progenitor systems of SNe Ia. We aim to determine whether they are the result of the host galaxy's interstellar dust …
Using high-resolution optical spectroscopy we determine the chemical abundance of the secondary star in the binary millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038. We measure a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.48 +/- 0.04 which is higher than the Solar value and in general find that the element abundances are different compared to the secondary stars in X-ray binaries and stars in the solar neighbourhood of similar Fe content. Our results suggest that the pulsar was formed in a supernova explosion. We find that supernova models, where matter that has been processed in the supernova is captured by the secondary sta…
Over-luminous type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) show peculiar observational features, for which an explosion of a super-massive white dwarf (WD) beyond the classical Chandrasekhar-limiting mass has been suggested, largely based on their high luminosities and slow light-curve evolution. However, their observational features are diverse, with a few extremely peculiar features whose origins have not been clarified; strong and persisting C II lines, late-time accelerated luminosity decline and red spectra, and a sub-day time-scale initial flash clearly identified so far at least for three over-luminous …
We present extensive optical and near-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of the stripped-envelope (SE) supernova SN 2010as. Spectroscopic peculiarities, such as initially weak helium features and low expansion velocities with a nearly flat evolution, place this object in the small family of events previously identified as transitional Type Ib/c supernovae (SNe). There is ubiquitous evidence of hydrogen, albeit weak, in this family of SNe, indicating that they are in fact a peculiar kind of Type IIb SNe that we name "flat-velocity Type IIb". The flat velocity evolution---which …
We present our photometric and spectroscopic observations on the peculiar transient AT2018cow. The multi-band photometry covers from peak to $\sim$70 days and the spectroscopy ranges from 5 to $\sim$50 days. The rapid rise ($t_{\mathrm{r}}$$\lesssim$2.9 days), high luminosity ($M_{V,\mathrm{peak}}\sim-$20.8 mag) and fast decline after peak make AT2018cow stand out of any other optical transients. While we find that its light curves show high resemblance to those of type Ibn supernovae. Moreover, the spectral energy distribution remains high temperature of $\sim$14,000 K after $\sim$15 days sin…
We propose a wind-driven model for peculiar transients, and apply the model to AT2018cow and iPTF14hls. In the wind-driven model, we assume that a continuous outflow like a stellar wind is injected from a central system. While these transients have different observational properties, this model can explain their photometric properties which are not reproduced by a supernova-like instantaneous explosion. Furthermore, the model predicts characteristic spectral features and evolution, which are well in line with those of AT2018cow and iPTF14hls. Despite the different observational properties, the…
We present a high-cadence short term photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaign of a type Ibn SN 2019wep, which is one of the rare SN Ibn after SNe 2010al and 2019uo to display signatures of flash ionization (\ion{He}{2}, \ion{C}{3}, \ion{N}{3}). We compare the decline rates and rise time of SN 2019wep with other SNe Ibn and fast transients. The post-peak decline in all bands (0.1 mag d$^{-1}$) are consistent with SNe Ibn but less than the fast transients. On the other hand, the $Δ$m$_{15}$ values are slightly lower than the average values for SNe Ibn but consistent with the fast transi…
We present and analyze a near infrared(NIR) spectrum of the under-luminous Type Ia supernova SN~2020qxp/ASASSN-20jq obtained with NIRES at the Keck Observatory 191 days after B-band maximum. The spectrum is dominated by a number of broad emission features including the [FeII] at 1.644mu which is highly asymmetric with a tilted top and a peak red-shifted by ~2,000km/s. In comparison with 2-D non-LTE synthetic spectra computed from 3-D simulations of off-center delayed-detonation Chandrasekhar-mass white-dwarf(WD) models, we find good agreement between the observed lines and the synthetic profil…
Early observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe$\,$Ia) provide essential clues for understanding the progenitor system that gave rise to the terminal thermonuclear explosion. We present exquisite observations of SN$\,$2019yvq, the second observed SN$\,$Ia, after iPTF$\,$14atg, to display an early flash of emission in the ultraviolet (UV) and optical. Our analysis finds that SN$\,$2019yvq was unusual, even when ignoring the initial flash, in that it was moderately underluminous for an SN$\,$Ia ($M_g \approx -18.5\,$mag at peak) yet featured very high absorption velocities ($v \approx 15,000\,\mat…
Type Iax supernovae (SN Iax), also called SN 2002cx-like supernovae, are the largest class of peculiar white dwarf (thermonuclear) supernovae, with over fifty members known. SN Iax have lower ejecta velocity and lower luminosities, and these parameters span a much wider range, than normal type Ia supernovae (SN Ia). SN Iax are spectroscopically similar to some SN Ia near maximum light, but are unique among all supernovae in their late-time spectra, which never become fully nebular. SN Iax overwhelmingly occur in late-type host galaxies, implying a relatively young population. The SN Iax 2012Z …
We systematically explore the effect of the treatment of line opacity on supernova light curves. We find that it is important to consider line opacity for both scattering and absorption (i.e. thermalisation which mimics the effect of fluorescence.) We explore the impact of degree of thermalisation on three major types of supernovae: Type Ia, Type II-peculiar, and Type II-plateau. For that we use radiative transfer code STELLA and analyse broad-band light curves in the context of simulations done with the spectral synthesis code ARTIS and in the context a few examples of observed supernovae of …
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are classified as long and short events. Long GRBs (LGRBs) are associated with the end states of very massive stars, while short GRBs (SGRBs) are linked to the merger of compact objects. GRB 200826A was a peculiar event, because by definition it was a SGRB, with a rest-frame duration of ~ 0.5 s. However, this event was energetic and soft, which is consistent with LGRBs. The relatively low redshift (z = 0.7486) motivated a comprehensive, multi-wavelength follow-up campaign to characterize its host, search for a possible associated supernova (SN), and thus understand the …
The evolutionary pathways of core-collapse supernova progenitors at the low-mass end of the spectrum are beset with major uncertainties. In recent years, a variety of evolutionary channels has been discovered in addition to the classical electron capture supernova channel of super-AGB stars. The few available progenitor models at the low-mass end have been studied with great success in supernova simulations as the peculiar density structure makes for robust neutrino-driven explosions in this mass range. Detailed nucleosynthesis calculations have been conducted both for models of electron captu…
We present a Chandra and XMM-Newton imaging and spectroscopic study of the supernova remnant (SNR) RCW 103 (G332.4-00.4) containing the Central Compact Object 1E 161348-5055. The high resolution Chandra X-ray images reveal enhanced emission in the south-eastern and north-western regions. Equivalent width line images of Fe L, Mg, Si, and S using XMM-Newton data were used to map the distribution of ejecta. The SNR was sectioned into 56 regions best characterized by two-component thermal models. The harder component (kT~0.6 keV) is adequately fitted by the VPSHOCK non-equilibrium ionization model…
I analyse some properties of the luminous transient event SN 2019zrk and conclude that jets were the main powering sources of the pre-explosion outburst (precursor) and ejection of a massive circumstellar matter (CSM), of the very energetic explosion itself, and of the post-explosion bump in the light curve. The pre-explosion energy source is mainly a companion (main sequence, Wolf-Rayet, neutron star or black hole) star that accreted mass and launched jets. I find that the fast expansion of the CSM after acceleration by the explosion ejecta requires the explosion energy to be >10^{52} erg. On…
