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Description
We present panchromatic observations and modeling of the Calcium-rich supernova (SN) 2019ehk in the star-forming galaxy M100 (d~16.2Mpc) starting 10hr after explosion and continuing for ~300days. SN 2019ehk shows a double-peaked optical light curve peaking at t=3 and 15days. The first peak is coincident with luminous, rapidly decaying Swift-XRT-discovered X-ray emission (L_x_~10^41^erg/s at 3days; Lx{propto}t^-3^), and a Shane/Kast spectral detection of narrow H{alpha} and HeII emission lines (v~500km/s) originating from pre-existent circumstellar material (CSM). We attribute this phenomenology to radiation from shock interaction with extended, dense material surrounding the progenitor star at r<10^15^cm and the resulting cooling emission. We calculate a total CSM mass of ~7x10^-3^M_{sun}_ (M_He_/M_H_~6) with particle density n~10^9^cm^-3^. Radio observations indicate a significantly lower density n<10^4^cm^-3^ at larger radii r>(0.1-1)x10^17^cm. The photometric and spectroscopic properties during the second light-curve peak are consistent with those of Ca-rich transients (rise-time of t_r_=13.4!+/-0.210days and a peak B-band magnitude of M_B_=-15.1+/-0.200mag). We find that SN 2019ehk synthesized (3.1+/-0.11)x10^-2^M_{sun}_ of ^56^Ni and ejected M_ej_=(0.72+/-0.040)M_{sun}_ total with a kinetic energy E_k_=(1.8+/-0.10)x10^50^erg. Finally, deep HST pre-explosion imaging at the SN site constrains the parameter space of viable stellar progenitors to massive stars in the lowest mass bin (~10M_{sun}_) in binaries that lost most of their He envelope or white dwarfs (WDs). The explosion and environment properties of SN 2019ehk further restrict the potential WD progenitor systems to low-mass hybrid HeCO WD+CO WD binaries.
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