Because core-collapse supernovae are the explosions of massive stars, which have relatively short lifetimes, they occur almost exclusively in galaxies with active star formation. On the other hand, the Type Ibn supernova PS1-12sk exploded in an environment much more typical of thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae: on the outskirts of the brightest elliptical galaxy in a galaxy cluster. The lack of any obvious star formation at that location presented a challenge to models of Type Ibn supernovae as the explosions of very massive Wolf-Rayet stars. Here we present a supplementary search for star formation at the site of PS1-12sk, now that the supernova has faded, via deep ultraviolet imaging of the host cluster with the Hubble Space Telescope. We do not detect any ultraviolet emission within 1 kpc of the supernova location, which allows us deepen the limit on star formation rate by an order of magnitude compared to the original study on this event. In light of this new limit, we discuss whether the progenitors of Type Ibn supernovae can be massive stars and what reasonable alternatives have been proposed.
We investigate circumstellar and explosion properties of Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) by analyzing their bolometric light curves. Bolometric light curves of Type Ibn SNe generally have a large contrast between peak luminosity and late-phase luminosity, which is much larger than those of 56Ni-powered SNe. Thus, most of them are likely powered by the interaction between SN ejecta and dense circumstellar media. In addition, Type Ibn SNe decline much faster than Type IIn SNe, and this indicates that the interaction in Type Ibn SNe ceases earlier than in Type IIn SNe. Thus, we argue that Type Ibn SN p…
Type Ibn Supernovae (SNe Ibn) show signatures of strong interaction between the SN ejecta and hydrogen-poor circumstellar matter (CSM). Deriving the ejecta and CSM properties of SNe Ibn provides a great opportunity to study the final evolution of massive stars. In the present work, we present a light curve (LC) model for the ejecta-CSM interaction, taking into account the processes in which the high-energy photons originally created at the forward and reverse shocks are converted to the observed emission in the optical. The model is applied to a sample of SNe Ibn and `SN Ibn' rapidly evolving …
Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) are a mysterious class of transients whose spectra exhibit persistently narrow HeI lines, and whose bolometric light curves are typically fast evolving and overluminous at peak relative to standard Type Ibc SNe. We explore the interaction scenario of such Type Ibn SNe by performing radiation-hydrodynamics and radiative-transfer calculations. We find that standard-energy helium-star explosions within dense wind-like circumstellar material (CSM) can reach on day timescales a peak luminosity of a few 10^44 erg/s, reminiscent of exceptional events like AT2018cow. Similar …
Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) are a small yet intriguing class of explosions whose spectra are characterized by low-velocity helium emission lines with little to no evidence for hydrogen. The prevailing theory has been that these are the core-collapse explosions of very massive stars embedded in helium-rich circumstellar material (CSM). We report optical observations of six new SNe Ibn: PTF11rfh, PTF12ldy, iPTF14aki, iPTF15ul, SN 2015G, and iPTF15akq. This brings the sample size of such objects in the literature to 22. We also report new data, including a near-infrared spectrum, on the Type Ibn SN…
I analyse peculiar properties of light curve and continua of enigmatic Ibn supernovae, including SN 2006jc, and argue in favour of the early strong circumstellar interaction. This interaction explains the high luminosity and fast flux rise of SN 1999cq, while the cool dense shell formed in shocked ejecta can explain the smooth early continuum of SN 2000er and unusual blue continuum of SN 2006jc. The dust is shown to condense in the cool dense shell at about day 50. Monte Carlo modelling of the He I 7065 Åline profile affected by the dust occultation supports a picture, in which the dust reside…
In this paper, we investigate the early-time optical$-$near-infrared (NIR) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of four Type Ibn supernovae (SNe). We find that the SEDs of SN~2010al, LSQ13ddu, and SN~2015G can be well explained by the single-component blackbody model, while the SEDs of OGLE-2012-SN-006 cannot. We invoke the double-component model assuming that the SEDs were produced by the SN photosphere and the heated dust to fit the optical$-$NIR SEDs of the four SNe Ibn, finding that the derived temperatures of the dust associated with OGLE-2012-SN-006 favor the scenario that the dust consi…
Interacting supernovae (SNe) IIn and Ibn show narrow emission lines and have always been a mysterious and unsolved genre in SNe physics. We present a comprehensive analysis of the temporal and spectroscopic behaviour of a group of interacting SNe~IIn and Ibn. We choose SNe~2012ab, 2020cui, 2020rc and 2019uo as representative members of these SN sub-types to probe the nature of explosion. Our study reveals that SNe~IIn are heterogeneous, bright depicting multi-staged temporal evolution while SNe~Ibn are moreover homogeneous, comparatively fainter than SNe~IIn and short lived, but limited in sam…
Supernovae (SNe) that show evidence of strong shock interaction between their ejecta and pre-existing, slower circumstellar material (CSM) constitute an interesting, diverse, and still poorly understood category of explosive transients. The chief reason that they are extremely interesting is because they tell us that in a subset of stellar deaths, the progenitor star may become wildly unstable in the years, decades, or centuries before explosion. This is something that has not been included in standard stellar evolution models, but may significantly change the end product and yield of that evo…
Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) are a rare class of stellar explosions whose progenitor systems are not yet well determined. We present and analyze observations of the Type Ibn SN 2019kbj, and model its light curve in order to constrain its progenitor and explosion parameters. SN 2019kbj shows roughly constant temperature during the first month after peak, indicating a power source (likely circumstellar material interaction) that keeps the continuum emission hot at ~15,000K. Indeed, we find that the radioactive decay of Ni56 is disfavored as the sole power source of the bolometric light curve. A rad…
The first radio view of a type Ibn supernova in SN 2023fyq: Understanding the mass-loss history in the last decade before the explosion
University of Virginia(弗吉尼亚大学);National Radio Astronomy Observatory(国家射电天文台);University of California, Berkeley(加州大学伯克利分校);California Institute of Technology(加州理工学院);The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science(卡内基科学研究所天文台);Northwestern University(西北大学);The University of Tokyo(东京大学)
Observations suggest that some massive stars experience violent and eruptive mass loss associated with significant brightening that cannot be explained by hydrostatic stellar models. This event seemingly forms dense circumstellar matter (CSM). The mechanism of eruptive mass loss has not been fully explained. We focus on the fact that the timescale of nuclear burning gets shorter than the dynamical timescale of the envelope a few years before core collapse for some massive stars. To reveal the properties of the eruptive mass loss, we investigate its relation to the energy injection at the botto…
Context: Type Ibn supernovae are a rare class of stripped envelope supernovae interacting with a helium-rich CSM. The majority of the SNe Ibn reported display a surprising homogeneity in their fast lightcurves and starforming hosts. Aims: We present the discovery and study of SN 2020bqj (ZTF20aalrqbu), a SN Ibn with a long-duration peak plateau lasting 40 days and hosted by a faint low-mass galaxy. We aim to explain its peculiar properties using an extensive data set. Methods: We compare the evolution of SN 2020bqj with SNe Ibn from the literature. We fit the bolometric and multi-band lightcur…
Supernova (SN) 2015U (also known as PSN J07285387+3349106) was discovered in NGC 2388 on 2015 Feb. 11. A rapidly evolving and luminous event, it showed effectively hydrogen-free spectra dominated by relatively narrow helium P-Cygni spectral features and it was classified as a SN Ibn. In this paper we present photometric, spectroscopic, and spectropolarimetric observations of SN 2015U, including a Keck/DEIMOS spectrum (resolution $\approx$ 5000) which fully resolves the optical emission and absorption features. We find that SN 2015U is best understood via models of shock breakout from extended …
Type Ibn supernovae (SNe Ibn) are thought to be the core-collapse explosions of massive stars whose ejecta interact with He-rich circumstellar material (CSM). We report the discovery of a SN Ibn, with the longest rise-time ever observed, OGLE-2014-SN-131. We discuss the potential powering mechanisms and the progenitor nature of this peculiar stripped-envelope (SE), circumstellar-interacting SN. Optical photometry and spectroscopy were obtained with multiple telescopes including VLT, NTT, and GROND. We compare light curves and spectra with those of other known SNe Ibn and Ibc. CSM velocities ar…
SN 2024abvb: a Type Ibn/Icn supernova with evidence of helium and an extreme offset from its host galaxy
Cardiff University(卡迪夫大学);INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova(意大利国家天体物理研究所帕多瓦天文台);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台);Universidad de Tarapacá(塔拉帕卡大学);University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学);University of Hawaii at Manoa(夏威夷大学马诺阿分校);National Central University(中央大学);Las Cumbres Observatory(激光观测站);University of California, Santa Barbara(加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校)
SN 2024abvb是一种具有氦证据的Ibn/Icn型超新星,其与宿主星系存在极端偏移,光谱和光度特征显示其独特的演化模式。
Supernovae (SNe) Type Ibn are rapidly evolving and bright (M$_\text{R,peak}$ $\sim-19$) transients interacting with He-rich circumstellar material (CSM). SN 2018bcc, detected by the ZTF shortly after explosion, provides the best constraints on the shape of the rising light curve (LC) of a fast Type Ibn. Aims: We used the high-quality data set of SN 2018bcc to study observational signatures of the class. Additionally, the powering mechanism of SN 2018bcc offers insights into the debated progenitor connection of Type Ibn SNe. Methods: We compared well-constrained LC properties obtained from empi…
Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen(哥本哈根大学尼尔斯·玻尔研究所);Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics(哈佛-史密森天体物理中心);University of California, Santa Cruz(加州大学圣克鲁兹分校);The University of Melbourne(墨尔本大学);Massachusetts Institute of Technology(麻省理工学院);University of Hawaii(夏威夷大学);University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校)
SN 2023fyq: direct detection of a Type Ibn supernova progenitor and its multi-wavelength environmental constraints
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院大学);National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院国家天文台);Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Beijing Normal University(北京师范大学前沿天体物理研究所);School of Space and Earth Sciences, Beihang University(北京航空航天大学空间与地球科学学院);Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University(北京大学科维理天文与天体物理研究所);Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking Unversity(北京大学物理学院天文学系)
This paper reports an environmental analysis of 41 uniformly-selected stripped-envelope supernovae (SESNe) based on deep ultraviolet-optical images acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope. Young stellar populations are detected in most SN environments and their ages are derived with a hierarchical Bayesian approach. The age distributions are indistinguishable between Type IIb and Type Ib while that for Type Ic is systematically younger. This suggests that the Type Ic SN progenitors are more massive while the Type IIb and Type Ib SNe have very similar progenitor masses. Our result supports a hyb…
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$15 days sin…
The final evolution of stars in the mass range 70 - 140 solar masses is explored. Depending upon their mass loss history and rotation rates, these stars will end their lives as pulsational pair-instability supernovae producing a great variety of observational transients with total durations ranging from weeks to millennia and luminosities from 10$^{41}$ to over 10$^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$. No non-rotating model radiates more than $5 \times 10^{50}$ erg of light or has a kinetic energy exceeding $5 \times 10^{51}$ erg, but greater energies are possible, in principle, in magnetar-powered explosions w…
We present photometric and spectroscopic follow-up observations of the highly luminous Type Ibn supernova ASASSN-14ms, which was discovered on UT 2014-12-26.61 at $m_V \sim 16.5$. With a peak absolute $V$-band magnitude brighter than $-20.5$, a peak bolometric luminosity of $1.7 \times 10^{44}$ ergs s$^{-1}$, and a total radiated energy of $2.1 \times 10^{50}$ ergs, ASASSN-14ms is one of the most luminous Type Ibn supernovae yet discovered. In simple models, the most likely power source for this event is a combination of the radioactive decay of $^{56}$Ni and $^{56}$Co at late times and the in…
Progenitor models for the "luminous" subclass of Fast Blue Optical Transients (LFBOTs; prototype: AT2018cow) are challenged to simultaneously explain all of their observed properties: fast optical rise times < days; peak luminosities >1e44 erg/s; low yields <0.1 Msun of 56Ni; aspherical ejecta with a wide velocity range (<3000 km/s to > 0.1-0.5 c with increasing polar latitude); presence of hydrogen-depleted-but-not-free dense circumstellar material (CSM) on radial scales from ~1e14 cm to ~3e16 cm; embedded variable source of non-thermal X-ray/gamma-rays, suggestive of a compact object. We sho…
Type Ib supernovae are bluer than Type Ic supernovae
Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics(马普天体物理研究所);European Southern Observatory(欧洲南方天文台);Technische Universität München(慕尼黑工业大学);Seoul National University(首尔大学);Tel Aviv University(特拉维夫大学);Michigan State University(密歇根州立大学)
This work utilizes established models of synchrotron-powered light curves for core-collapse supernovae in dense circumstellar environments, namely type IIn and Ibn, to demonstrate the potential for detecting millimeter emission from these events. The progenitor types of these supernovae are still an open question, but using the synchrotron light curves as probes for the circumstellar environments could shed light on the mass-loss histories of the progenitors and discern between different theories. Observations in millimeter bands are particularly fruitful, as they probe regions at smaller radi…
This contribution presents the results of workshop 8 (supernovae) held during the IAU Symposium 339 "Southern Horizons in Time-Domain Astronomy" at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Workshop 8 covered a cornucopia of topics with each one having a short presentation by a pre-determined participant followed by a round table discussion. During the first of two sessions, G. Hosseinzadeh and H. Kuncarayakti presented results of their recent works on interacting supernovae. This includes both the intriguing Type Ibn supernova subclass, as well as SN 2017dio, which appears to be the first Type I…
Rapidly evolving transients, or objects that rise and fade in brightness on timescales two to three times shorter than those of typical Type Ia or Type II supernovae (SNe), have uncertain progenitor systems and powering mechanisms. Recent studies have noted similarities between rapidly evolving transients and Type Ibn SNe, which are powered by ejecta interacting with He-rich circumstellar material (CSM). In this work we present multiband photometric and spectroscopic observations from Las Cumbres Observatory and Swift of four fast-evolving Type Ibn SNe. We compare these observations with those…
The flash-ionised SN Ibn 2025kzr: H-free CSM formed during a precursor outburst 55 days prior to explosion
DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark(丹麦技术大学空间中心);South African Astronomical Observatory(南非天文台);Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town(开普敦大学天文学系);Department of Physics, University of the Free State(自由邦大学物理系);Department of Physics, Stellenbosch University(斯坦伦布什大学物理系);Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University(拉德堡德大学天体物理学系/IMAPP);The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy, University of Cape Town(开普敦大学跨大学数据密集型天文研究所);Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science(魏茨曼科学研究所粒子物理与天体物理系)
Ultraviolet to Infrared Spectroscopy of the Type Ibn SN 2023tsz Suggests a Lower-mass Progenitor
University of California, San Diego(圣地亚哥加利福尼亚大学);Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS–Sorbonne Université(巴黎天体物理研究所,法国国家科学研究中心-索邦大学);Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile(智利天主教 Pontificia 大学);Space Telescope Science Institute(太空望远镜科学研究所);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台);Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley(加州大学伯克利分校天文学系);Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(麻省理工学院卡弗里天体物理学与空间研究研究所);Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara(加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校物理系);Las Cumbres Observatory(拉西布拉天文台);Gemini Observatory(双子座天文台)
Many core collapse supernovae (SNe) with hydrogen-poor and low-mass ejecta, such as ultra-stripped SNe and type Ibn SNe, are observed to interact with dense circumstellar material (CSM). These events likely arise from the core-collapse of helium stars which have been heavily stripped by a binary companion and ejected significant mass during the last weeks to years of their lives. In helium star models run to days before core-collapse, we identify a range of helium core masses $\approx 2.5 -3 M_{\odot}$ whose envelopes expand substantially due to helium shell burning while the core undergoes ne…
Present time-domain astronomy efforts will unveil a variety of rare transients. We focus here on pulsational pair-instability evolution, which can result in signatures observable with electromagnetic and gravitational waves. We simulate grids of bare helium stars to characterize the resulting black hole (BH) masses and ejecta composition, velocity, and thermal state. The stars do not react "elastically" to the thermonuclear explosion: there is not a one-to-one correspondence between pair-instability driven ignition and mass ejections, causing ambiguity in what is an observable pulse. In agreem…
A growing subset of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) show evidence for unexpected interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (SNe Ia-CSM). The precise nature of the progenitor, however, remains debated owing to spectral ambiguities arising from a strong contribution from the CSM interaction. Late-time spectra offer potential insight if the post-shock cold, dense shell becomes sufficiently thin and/or the ejecta begin to cross the reverse shock. To date, few high-quality spectra of this kind exist. Here we report on the late-time optical and infrared spectra of the SNe~Ia-CSM 2012ca and 2013dn. T…
We present observations of SN 2021csp, the second example of a newly-identified type of supernova (Type Icn) hallmarked by strong, narrow, P Cygni carbon features at early times. The SN appears as a fast and luminous blue transient at early times, reaching a peak absolute magnitude of -20 within 3 days due to strong interaction between fast SN ejecta (v ~ 30000 km/s) and a massive, dense, fast-moving C/O wind shed by the WC-like progenitor months before explosion. The narrow line features disappear from the spectrum 10-20 days after explosion and are replaced by a blue continuum dominated by b…
I use recent observations of circumstellar matter (CSM) around type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) to estimate the fraction of SNe Ia that explode into a planetary nebula (PN) and to suggest a new delay time distribution from the common envelope evolution (CEE) to the SN Ia explosion for SNe Ia that occur shortly after the CEE. Under the assumption that the CSM results from a CEE, I crudely estimate that about 50 per cent of all SNe Ia are SNe Ia inside PNe (SNIPs), and that the explosions of most SNIPs occur within a CEE to explosion delay (CEED) time of less than about ten thousand years. I also est…
Unraveling the mysteries of supernovae with SKA+VLBI
University of Science and Technology of P.~R.~China(中国科学技术大学);Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院上海天文台);Yunnan Observatories, CAS(中国科学院云南天文台);Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院高能物理研究所);Spallation Neutron Source Science Center(散裂中子源科学中心);Central P.~R.~China Normal University(华中师范大学);Stockholm University(斯德哥尔摩大学)
The origin of the diverse light-curve shapes of Type II supernovae (SNe), and whether they come from similar or distinct progenitors, has been actively discussed for decades. Here we report spectropolarimetry of two fast declining Type II (Type IIL) SNe: SN 2013ej and SN 2017ahn. SN 2013ej exhibited high continuum polarization from very soon after the explosion to the radioactive tail phase with time-variable polarization angles. The origin of this polarimetric behavior can be interpreted as the combination of two different aspherical structures, namely an aspherical interaction of the SN ejec…
Type I rapidly fading supernovae (RFSNe) appear to originate from hydrogen-free stars with large radii that produce predominantly shock-cooling light curves, in contrast with more typical nickel-rich SNe Ibc. However, it remains to be determined what types of stars would produce bright shock-cooling light curves without significant contribution from radioactive nickel. Bare helium stars in the mass range ~2-4 solar masses are known to hydrostatically develop radii as large as 100 solar radii or more due to strong He and C shell burning outside of a core with a sharp density gradient. We produc…
Observations of radio supernovae often exhibit characteristics not readily accounted for by a homogeneous, spherically symmetric synchrotron model; e.g., flat-topped spectra/lightcurves. It is shown that many of these deviations from the standard model can be attributed to an inhomogeneous source structure. It is argued that the radio emission in Type Ib/c supernovae has a small volume filling factor and comes from a narrow region associated with the forward shock, while the radio emission region in SN 1993J (Type IIb) is determined by the extent of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability emanating fr…
Interaction-powered supernovae (SNe) explode within an optically-thick circumstellar medium (CSM) that could be ejected during eruptive events. To identify and characterize such pre-explosion outbursts we produce forced-photometry light curves for 196 interacting SNe, mostly of Type IIn, detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility between early 2018 and June 2020. Extensive tests demonstrate that we only expect a few false detections among the 70,000 analyzed pre-explosion images after applying quality cuts and bias corrections. We detect precursor eruptions prior to 18 Type IIn SNe and prior to…
We present the SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC), an open-source Lagrangian code for the hydrodynamics and equilibrium-diffusion radiation transport in the expanding envelopes of supernovae. Given a model of a progenitor star, an explosion energy, and an amount and distribution of radioactive nickel, SNEC generates the bolometric light curve, as well as the light curves in different broad bands assuming black body emission. As a first application of SNEC, we consider the explosions of a grid of 15 Msun (at zero-age main sequence) stars whose hydrogen envelopes are stripped to different extents a…