A new class of faint, spectroscopically peculiar transients has emerged in the last decade. We term these events "calcium-strong transients" (CaSTs) because of their atypically high calcium-to-oxygen nebular line ratios. Previous studies have struggled to deduce the identity of their progenitors due to a combination of their extremely extended radial distributions with respect to their host galaxies and their relatively high rate of occurrence. In this work, we find that the CaST radial distribution is consistent with the radial distribution of two populations of stars: old (ages > 5 Gyr), low-metallicity (Z/Zsol < 0.3) stars and globular clusters. While no obvious progenitor scenario arises from considering old, metal-poor stars, the alternative production site of globular clusters leads us to narrow down the list of possible candidates to three binary scenarios: mergers of helium and oxygen/neon white dwarfs; tidal disruptions of helium white dwarfs by neutron stars; and stable accretion from low-mass helium-burning stars onto white dwarfs. While rare in the field, these binary systems can be formed dynamically at much higher rates in globular clusters. Subsequent binary hardening both increases their interaction rate and ejects them from their parent globular clusters prior to mass transfer contact. Their production in, and ejection from, globular clusters may explain their radial distribution and the absence of globular clusters at their explosion site. This model predicts a currently undiscovered high rate of CaSTs in nuclear star clusters. Alternatively, an undetermined progenitor scenario involving old, low-metallicity stars may instead hold the key to understanding CaSTs.
We present a measurement of the volumetric rate of `calcium-rich' optical transients in the local universe, using a sample of three events from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). This measurement builds on a detailed study of the PTF transient detection efficiencies, and uses a Monte Carlo simulation of the PTF survey. We measure the volumetric rate of calcium-rich transients to be higher than previous estimates: $1.21^{+1.13}_{-0.39}\times10^{-5}$ events yr$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-3}$. This is equivalent to 33-94% of the local volumetric type Ia supernova rate. This calcium-rich transient rate is suf…
We present deep VLT and HST observations of the nearest examples of calcium-rich 'gap' transients -- rapidly evolving transient events, with a luminosity intermediate between novae and supernovae. These sources are frequently found at large galactocentric offsets, and their progenitors remain mysterious. Our observations find no convincing underlying quiescent sources coincident with the locations of these transients, allowing us to rule out a number of potential progenitor systems. The presence of surviving massive-star binary companions (or other cluster members) are ruled out, providing an …
Calcium-rich supernovae (Ca-rich SNe) are peculiar low-luminosity SNe Ib with relatively strong Ca spectral lines at ~2 months after peak brightness. This class also has an extended projected offset distribution, with several members of the class offset from their host galaxies by 30 - 150 kpc. There is no indication of any stellar population at the SN positions. Using a sample of 13 Ca-rich SNe, we present kinematic evidence that the progenitors of Ca-rich SNe originate near the centers of their host galaxies and are kicked to the locations of the SN explosions. Specifically, SNe with small p…
We analyze the outcome of the interaction between a stellar binary and a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) by performing a large number of gravitational scattering experiments. Most of the encounters result in either the ejection of an intact binary or the ejection of two individual stars following the tidal breakup of the binary. However, tidal disruption events (TDEs) and mergers constitute a few percent of the outcomes, and double, temporally distinct TDEs (i.e., separated by at least one orbit of the supermassive black hole binary) occur at the percent level. We also demonstrate that …
We present $\textit{Hubble Space Telescope}$ imaging of the Calcium-rich supernova (SN) 2019ehk at 276 - 389 days after explosion. These observations represent the latest photometric measurements of a Calcium-rich transient to date and allows for the first opportunity to analyze the late-time evolution of an object in this observational SN class. We find that the late-time bolometric light curve of SN 2019ehk can be described predominantly through the radioactive decay of ${}^{56}\textrm{Co}$ for which we derive a mass of $M({}^{56}\textrm{Co}) = (2.8 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{-2}$$\rm{M}_\odot$. Fu…
We hypothesize that at least some of the recently discovered class of calcium-rich gap transients are tidal detonation events of white dwarfs (WDs) by black holes (BHs) or possibly neutron stars. We show that the properties of the calcium-rich gap transients agree well with the predictions of the tidal detonation model. Under the predictions of this model, we use a follow-up X-ray observation of one of these transients, SN 2012hn, to place weak upper limits on the detonator mass of this system that include all intermediate-mass BHs (IMBHs). As these transients are preferentially in the stellar…
(Abridged) Using the Zwicky Transient Facility alert stream, we are conducting a large campaign to spectroscopically classify all transients occurring in galaxies in the Census of the Local Universe (CLU) catalog. The aim of the experiment is to construct a spectroscopically complete, volume-limited sample of transients coincident within 100" of CLU galaxies out to 200 Mpc, and to a depth of 20 mag. We describe the survey design and spectroscopic completeness from the first 16 months of operations. We present results from a systematic search for Calcium rich gap transients in the sample of 22 …
We present nebular spectra of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2019yvq, which had a bright flash of blue and ultraviolet light after exploding, followed by a rise similar to other SNe Ia. Although SN 2019yvq displayed several other rare characteristics such as persistent high ejecta velocity near peak brightness, it was not especially peculiar and if the early "excess" emission were not observed, it would likely be included in cosmological samples. The excess flux can be explained by several different physical models linked to the details of the progenitor system and explosion mechanism. Each …
Even though the main nucleosynthetic products of type Ia supernovae belong to the iron-group, intermediate-mass alpha-nuclei (silicon, sulfur, argon, and calcium) stand out in their spectra up to several weeks past maximum brightness. Recent measurements of the abundances of calcium, argon, and sulfur in type Ia supernova remnants have been interpreted in terms of metallicity-dependent oxygen burning, in accordance with previous theoretical predictions. It is known that $α$-rich oxygen burning results from $^{16}$O$\rightarrow^{12}$C followed by efficient $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C fusion reaction, as …
High-Redshift Type Ia Supernovae Exhibit Enhanced Calcium Abundances
Texas A&M Institute of Data Science, Texas A&M University（德克萨斯农工大学数据科学研究所）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University（德克萨斯农工大学电气与计算机工程系）；George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics & Astronomy, Texas A. & M. University, Department of Physics and Astronomy（德克萨斯农工大学乔治·P和辛西娅·伍兹基础物理与天文学研究所，物理与天文系）
This work examines the relationships between the properties (flux ratios, full width at half-maximum velocities) of the [O I] $λλ$6300, 6364, [Ca II] $λλ$7291, 7323, and the Ca II near-infrared triplet, emission lines of a large sample of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) and Ca-rich transients (509 spectra of 86 transients, of which 10 transients are Ca-rich events). Line-flux ratios as a function of time were investigated with differences identified between the transient classes, in particular the Type II SNe were found to have distinct line-flux ratios compared to stripped-envelope (SE) SNe. N…
We present the Palomar Transient Factory discoveries and the photometric and spectroscopic observations of PTF11kmb and PTF12bho. We show that both transients have properties consistent with the class of calcium-rich gap transients, specifically lower peak luminosities and rapid evolution compared to ordinary supernovae, and a nebular spectrum dominated by [Ca II] emission. A striking feature of both transients is their host environments: PTF12bho is an intra-cluster transient in the Coma Cluster, while PTF11kmb is located in a loose galaxy group, at a physical offset ~150 kpc from the most li…
From the first two seasons of the Palomar Transient Factory, we identify three peculiar transients (PTF09dav, PTF10iuv, PTF11bij) with five distinguishing characteristics: peak luminosity in the gap between novae and supernovae (M_R = 15.5 to -16.5), rapid photometric evolution (rise-time ~12--15 days), large photospheric velocities (~6000 to 11000 km/s), early spectroscopic evolution into nebular phase (~1 to 3 months) and peculiar nebular spectra dominated by Calcium. We also culled the extensive decade-long Lick Observatory Supernova Search database and identified an additional member of th…
The progenitor systems of the class of "Ca-rich transients" is a key open issue in time domain astrophysics. These intriguing objects exhibit unusually strong calcium line emissions months after explosion, fall within an intermediate luminosity range, are often found at large projected distances from their host galaxies, and may play a vital role in enriching galaxies and the intergalactic medium. Here we present multi-wavelength observations of iPTF15eqv in NGC 3430, which exhibits a unique combination of properties that bridge those observed in Ca-rich transients and Type Ib/c supernovae. iP…
We present panchromatic observations and modeling of calcium-strong supernovae (SNe) 2021gno in the star-forming host galaxy NGC 4165 (D = 30.5 Mpc) and 2021inl in the outskirts of elliptical galaxy NGC 4923 (D = 80 Mpc), both monitored through the Young Supernova Experiment (YSE) transient survey. The multi-color light curves of both SNe show two peaks, the former peak being derived from shock cooling emission (SCE) and/or shock interaction with circumstellar material (CSM). The primary peak in SN 2021gno is coincident with luminous, rapidly decaying X-ray emission ($L_x = 5 \times 10^{41}$ e…
The Galactic transient V1309 Sco was the result of a merger in a low-mass star system, while V838 Mon was thought to be a similar merger event from a more massive B-type progenitor. In this paper we study an optical/IR transient discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC4490, which appeared similar to these merger events (unobscured progenitor, irregular multi-peaked light curve, increasingly red color, similar optical spectrum, IR excess at late times), but which had a higher peak luminosity and longer duration in outburst. NGC4490-OT has less in common with the class of SN~2008S-like transients. A …
Calcium-rich supernovae represent a significant challenge for our understanding of the fates of stellar systems. They are less luminous than other supernova (SN) types and they evolve more rapidly to reveal nebular spectra dominated by strong calcium lines with weak or absent signatures of other intermediate- and iron-group elements, which are seen in other SNe. Strikingly, their explosion sites also mark them out as distinct from other SN types. Their galactocentric offset distribution is strongly skewed to very large offsets (around one third are offset greater than 20 kpc), meaning they do …
We present optical and near-infrared observations of SN~Ib~2019ehk. We show that it evolved to a Ca-rich transient according to its spectral properties and evolution in late phases. It, however, shows a few distinguishable properties from the canonical Ca-rich transients: a short-duration first peak in the light curve, high peak luminosity, and association with a star-forming environment. Indeed, some of these features are shared with iPTF14gqr and iPTF16hgs, which are candidates for a special class of core-collapse SNe (CCSNe): the so-called ultra-stripped envelope SNe, i.e., a relatively low…
Probing the low-mass end of core-collapse supernovae using a sample of strongly-stripped Calcium-rich Type IIb Supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility
The Double-Peaked Calcium-Strong SN 2025coe: Progenitor Constraints from Early Interaction and Ejecta Asymmetries
University of California, Davis（加州大学戴维斯分校）；University of Virginia（弗吉尼亚大学）；National Radio Astronomy Observatory（国家射电天文台）；Stockholm University（斯德哥尔摩大学）；Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛-史密森天体物理中心）
This paper presents one of the first environmental analyses of the locations of the class of `interacting transients', namely type IIn supernovae and supernova Impostors. We discuss the association of these transients with star formation, host galaxy type, metallicity, and the locations of each event within the respective host. Given the frequent assumption of very high mass progenitors for these explosions from various studies, most notably a direct progenitor detection, it is interesting to note the weak association of these subtypes with star formation as traced by Hα emission, particularly…
We present observations and modeling of SN 2016hnk, a Ca-rich supernova (SN) that is consistent with being the result of a He-shell double-detonation explosion of a C/O white dwarf. We find that SN 2016hnk is intrinsically red relative to typical thermonuclear SNe and has a relatively low peak luminosity ($M_B = -15.4$ mag), setting it apart from low-luminosity Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). SN 2016hnk has a fast-rising light curve that is consistent with other Ca-rich transients ($t_r = 15$ d). We determine that SN 2016hnk produced $0.03 \pm 0.01 M_{\odot}$ of ${}^{56}\textrm{Ni}$ and $0.9 \pm …
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 …
We present optical spectroscopy, ultraviolet to infrared imaging and X-ray observations of the intermediate luminosity optical transient (ILOT) SN 2010da in NGC 300 (d=1.86 Mpc) spanning from -6 to +6 years relative to the time of outburst in 2010. Based on the light curve and multi-epoch SEDs of SN 2010da, we conclude that the progenitor of SN 2010da is a ~10-12 Msol yellow supergiant possibly transitioning into a blue loop phase. During outburst, SN 2010da had a peak absolute magnitude of M<-10.4 mag, dimmer than other ILOTs and supernova impostors. We detect multi-component hydrogen Balmer,…
We use non-local thermal equilibrium radiative transport modeling to examine observational signatures of sub-Chandrasekhar mass double detonation explosions in the nebular phase. Results range from spectra that look like typical and subluminous Type Ia supernovae (SNe) for higher mass progenitors to spectra that look like Ca-rich transients for lower mass progenitors. This ignition mechanism produces an inherent relationship between emission features and the progenitor mass as the ratio of the nebular [Ca II]/[Fe III] emission lines increases with decreasing white dwarf mass. Examining the [Ca…
Calcium-rich (Ca-rich) transients are a new class of supernovae (SNe) that are known for their comparatively rapid evolution, modest peak luminosities, and strong nebular calcium emission lines. Currently, the progenitor systems of Ca-rich transients remain unknown. Although they exhibit spectroscopic properties not unlike core-collapse Type Ib/c SNe, nearly half are found in the outskirts of their host galaxies that are predominantly elliptical, suggesting a closer connection to the older stellar populations of SNe Ia. In this paper, we present a compilation of publicly available multiwavelen…
When a massive star in a binary system explodes as a supernova its companion star may be polluted with heavy elements from the supernova ejecta. Such a pollution had been detected in a handful of post-supernova binaries (Gonzalez Hernandez et al. 2011), but none of them is associated with a supernova remnant. We report the discovery of a solar-type star in a close, eccentric binary system with a neutron star within the young Galactic supernova remnant RCW 86. Our discovery implies that the supernova progenitor was a moving star, which exploded near the edge of its wind bubble and lost most of …
We analyze a sample of 45 Type II supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) public survey using a grid of hydrodynamical models in order to assess whether theoretically-driven forecasts can intelligently guide follow up observations supporting all-sky survey alert streams. We estimate several progenitor properties and explosion physics parameters including zero-age-main-sequence (ZAMS) mass, mass-loss rate, kinetic energy, 56Ni mass synthesized, host extinction, and the time of explosion. Using complete light curves we obtain confident characterizations for 34 events in our sample, w…
We report the results of our follow-up campaign of the supernova impostor PSN J09132750+7627410, based on optical data covering $\sim250\,\rm{d}$. From the beginning, the transient shows prominent narrow Balmer lines with P-Cygni profiles, with a blue-shifted absorption component becoming more prominent with time. Along the $\sim3\,\rm{months}$ of the spectroscopic monitoring, broad components are never detected in the hydrogen lines, suggesting that these features are produced in slowly expanding material. The transient reaches an absolute magnitude $M_r=-13.60\pm0.19\,\rm{mag}$ at maximum, a…
An electromagnetic transient powered by the radioactive decay of r-process elements, a so-called kilonova/macronova, is one of the possible observable consequences of compact binary mergers including at east one neutron star. Recent observations strongly suggest the first discovery of the electromagnetic transient, which is associated with the short GRB 130603B. We explore a possible progenitor of this event combining the numerical-relativity simulations and radiative transfer simulations of the dynamical ejecta of binary neutron star and black hole - neutron star mergers. We show that the eje…
We present new light curves and spectra for a number of extragalactic optical transients or "SN impostors" related to giant eruptions of LBVs, and we provide a comparative discussion of LBV-like giant eruptions known to date. New data include photometry and spectroscopy of SNe1999bw, 2000ch, 2001ac, 2002bu, 2006bv, and 2010dn. SN2010dn resembles SN2008S and NGC 300-OT, whereas SN2002bu shows spectral evolution from a normal LBV at early times to a twin of these cooler transients at late times. SN2008S, NGC300-OT, and SN2010dn appear to be special cases of a broader eruptive phenomenon where th…
We present the bolometric lightcurve, identification and analysis of the progenitor candidate, and preliminary modelling of AT2016jbu (Gaia16cfr). We find a progenitor consistent with a $\sim$22--25~$M_{\odot}$ yellow hypergiant surrounded by a dusty circumstellar shell, in agreement with what has been previously reported. We see evidence for significant photometric variability in the progenitor, as well as strong H$α$ emission consistent with pre-existing circumstellar material. The age of the environment as well as the resolved stellar population surrounding AT2016jbu, support a progenitor a…
A multiwavelength view of the nearby Calcium-Strong Transient SN 2025coe in the X-Ray, Near-Infrared, and Radio Wavebands
University of Virginia（弗吉尼亚大学）；National Radio Astronomy Observatory（国家射电天文台）；University of California, Davis（加州大学戴维斯分校）；Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA)（天体物理学跨学科探索与研究中心）；National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand（泰国国家天文研究所）；University of California, Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校）；Las Cumbres Observatory（拉斯孔布斯天文台）；University of California, Santa Barbara（加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校）；University of Florida（佛罗里达大学）；Center for Astrophysics|Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛-史密森尼天体物理中心）；Gemini Observatory（双子座天文台）；Steward Observatory, University of Arizona（亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台）
G306.3$-$0.9 is an asymmetric Galactic supernova remnant (SNR), whose progenitor has been thought to be a Type Ia supernova (SN), but its high Ca abundance appears inconsistent with the Type Ia origin. Hoping to uncover the reason for its asymmetry and the origin of this SNR, we performed a spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopic analysis of XMM-Newton and Chandra observation data. We divided the SNR into 13 regions and analyzed the spectra using two-temperature models (0.2 keV + 1 keV). Compared to the southwestern regions, the northeastern regions have higher metal abundances and a lower gas …
Gravitational wave transients, resulting from the merger of two stellar remnants, are now detectable. The properties and rates of these directly relates to the stellar population which gave rise to their progenitors, and thus to other, electromagnetic transients which result from stellar death. We aim to estimate simultaneously the event rates and delay time distribution of gravitational wave-driven compact object mergers together with the rates of core collapse and thermonuclear supernovae within a single consistent stellar population synthesis paradigm. We combine event delay-time distributi…
The environments of explosive transients link their progenitors to the underlying stellar population, providing critical clues for their origins. However, some Ca-rich supernovae (SNe) and short gamma ray burst (sGRBs) appear to be located at remote locations, far from the stellar population of their host galaxy, challenging our understanding of their origin and/or physical evolution. These findings instigated models suggesting that either large velocity kicks were imparted to their progenitors, allowing them to propagate to large distances and attain their remote locations; or that they forme…
We present late-time Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope imaging of SN 2008S and NGC 300 2008OT-1, the prototypes of a common class of stellar transients whose true nature is debated. Both objects are still fading and are now >15 times fainter than the progenitors in the mid-IR and are undetected in the optical and near-IR. Data from the Large Binocular Telescope and Magellan show that neither source has been variable in the optical since fading in 2010. We present models of surviving sources obscured by dusty shells or winds and find that extreme dust models are needed for surviving stars to b…
[abridged] We present multi-epoch high-resolution optical spectroscopy, UV/radio/X-ray imaging, and archival Hubble and Spitzer observations of an intermediate luminosity optical transient recently discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC300. We find that the transient (NGC300 OT2008-1) has a peak absolute magnitude of M_bol~-11.8 mag, intermediate between novae and supernovae, and similar to the recent events M85 OT2006-1 and SN2008S. Our high-resolution spectra, the first for this event, are dominated by intermediate velocity (~200-1000 km/s) hydrogen Balmer lines and CaII emission and absorption…
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…
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…
We present progenitor-star detections, light curves, and optical spectra of SN2009ip and the 2009 optical transient in UGC2773 (U2773-OT), which were not genuine SNe. Precursor variability in the decade before outburst indicates that both of the progenitor stars were LBVs. Their pre-outburst light curves resemble the S Doradus phases that preceded giant eruptions of eta Carinae and SN1954J (V12 in NGC2403), with intermediate progenitor luminosities. HST detections a decade before discovery indicate that the SN2009ip and U2773-OT progenitors were supergiants with likely initial masses of 50-80 …
Supernova (SN) siblings -- two or more SNe in the same parent galaxy -- are useful tools for exploring progenitor stellar populations as well as properties of the host galaxies such as distance, star formation rate, dust extinction, and metallicity. Since the average SN rate for a Milky Way-type galaxy is just one per century, a large imaging survey is required to discover an appreciable sample of SN siblings. From the wide-field Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Bright Transient Survey (BTS; which aims for spectroscopic completeness for all transients which peak brighter than $r{<}$18.5 mag) we…
Double White Dwarf Mergers as Progenitors of Long-Period Transients
Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica（巴西航空研究院）；University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee（威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校）；Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo（圣埃斯皮里图联邦大学）；Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais（国家空间研究所）；Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas（巴西物理研究中心）；ICRANet（国际相对论天体物理中心网络）；Universidade Federal do Cariri（卡鲁里联邦大学）；ICRA（国际相对论天体物理中心）；INAF（意大利国家天体物理研究所）；Universidade de São Paulo（圣保罗大学）；San Diego State University（圣地亚哥州立大学）
JWST Observations of Calcium-Strong Transients: I. Complex Nebular He Emission in SN 2024uj
Northwestern University（西北大学）；Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA)（天体物理学交叉探索与研究中心）；University of California, Davis（加州大学戴维斯分校）；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）；French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy, IRL 3386, CNRS, Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（中法天体物理联合实验室，法国国家科学研究中心，智利天主教主教大学天体物理研究所）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey（罗格斯大学）
Luminous fast blue optical transients (LFBOTs) such as AT2018cow form a rare class of engine-powered explosions of uncertain origin. A hallmark feature of these events is radio/millimeter synchrotron emission powered by the interaction of fast (v > 0.1 c) ejecta and dense circumstellar material (CSM) extending to large radii > 1e16 cm surrounding the progenitor. Assuming this CSM to be an outflow from the progenitor, we show that dust grains up to ~1 micron in size can form in the outflow in the years before the explosion. This dusty CSM would attenuate the transient's ultraviolet (UV) emissio…
Observational surveys are now able to detect an increasing number of transients, such as core-collapse supernovae (SN) and powerful non-terminal outbursts (SN impostors). Dedicated spectroscopic facilities can follow up these events shortly after detection. Here we investigate the properties of these explosions at early times. We use the radiative transfer code CMFGEN to build an extensive library of spectra simulating the interaction of supernovae and their progenitor's winds/circumstellar medium (CSM). We consider a range of progenitor mass-loss rates (Mdot = 5e-4 to 1e-2 Msun/yr), abundance…
AT 2018cow 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 signatures, and timescales make them challenging to interpret in established classes of supernovae and tidal disruption events. The rich, multi-wavelength data-set of AT 2018cow has still left several interpretations viable to explain the nature of this event. In this paper we analyse integral-field spectroscopic data of the host galaxy, CGCG 137-0…
Spectroscopic detection of narrow emission lines traces the presence of circumstellar mass distributions around massive stars exploding as core-collapse supernovae. Transient emission lines disappearing shortly after the supernova explosion suggest that the spatial extent of such material is compact, and hence imply an increased mass loss shortly prior to explosion. Here, we present a systematic survey for such transient emission lines (Flash Spectroscopy) among Type II supernovae detected in the first year of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) survey. We find that at least six out of ten eve…
We consider black hole formation in failed supernovae when a dense circumstellar medium (CSM) is present around the massive star progenitor. By utilizing radiation hydrodynamical simulations, we calculate the mass ejection of blue supergiants and Wolf-Rayet stars in the collapsing phase and the radiative shock occurring between the ejecta and the ambient CSM. We find that the resultant emission is redder and dimmer than normal supernovae (bolometric luminosity of $\sim 10^{40}-10^{41}\ {\rm erg\ s^{-1}}$, effective temperature of $\sim 5\times 10^3$ K, and timescale of 10-100 days) and shows a…
