- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/836/25
- Title:
- Swift UVOT light curves of ASASSN-15lh
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/836/25
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the detection of persistent soft X-ray radiation with L_x_~10^41^-10^42^erg/s at the location of the extremely luminous, double-humped transient ASASSN-15lh as revealed by Chandra and Swift. We interpret this finding in the context of observations from our multiwavelength campaign, which revealed the presence of weak narrow nebular emission features from the host-galaxy nucleus and clear differences with respect to superluminous supernova optical spectra. Significant UV flux variability on short timescales detected at the time of the rebrightening disfavors the shock interaction scenario as the source of energy powering the long-lived UV emission, while deep radio limits exclude the presence of relativistic jets propagating into a low-density environment. We propose a model where the extreme luminosity and double-peaked temporal structure of ASASSN-15lh is powered by a central source of ionizing radiation that produces a sudden change in the ejecta opacity at later times. As a result, UV radiation can more easily escape, producing the second bump in the light curve. We discuss different interpretations for the intrinsic nature of the ionizing source. We conclude that, if the X-ray source is physically associated with the optical-UV transient, then ASASSN-15lh most likely represents the tidal disruption of a main-sequence star by the most massive spinning black hole detected to date. In this case, ASASSN-15lh and similar events discovered in the future would constitute the most direct probes of very massive, dormant, spinning, supermassive black holes in galaxies. Future monitoring of the X-rays may allow us to distinguish between the supernova hypothesis and the hypothesis of a tidal disruption event.
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Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/836/232
- Title:
- Swift-UVOT obs. analysis of 29 SNe Ia
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/836/232
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The intrinsic colors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are important to understanding their use as cosmological standard candles. Understanding the effects of reddening and redshift on the observed colors are complicated and dependent on the intrinsic spectrum, the filter curves, and the wavelength dependence of reddening. We present ultraviolet and optical data of a growing sample of SNe Ia observed with the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope on the Swift spacecraft and use this sample to re-examine the near-UV (NUV) colors of SNe Ia. We find that a small amount of reddening (E(B-V)=0.2mag) could account for the difference between groups designated as NUV-blue and NUV-red, and a moderate amount of reddening (E(B-V)=0.5mag) could account for the whole NUV-optical differences. The reddening scenario, however, is inconsistent with the mid-UV colors and color evolution. The effect of redshift alone only accounts for part of the variation. Using a spectral template of SN2011fe, we can forward model the effects of redshift and reddening and directly compare those with the observed colors. We find that some SNe are consistent with reddened versions of SN2011fe, but most SNe Ia are much redder in the uvw1-v color than SN2011fe reddened to the same b-v color. The absolute magnitudes show that two out of five NUV-blue SNe Ia are blue because their near-UV luminosity is high, and the other three are optically fainter. We also show that SN 2011fe is not a "normal" SN Ia in the UV, but has colors placing it at the blue extreme of our sample.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/749/18
- Title:
- Swift/UVOT observations of 12 nearby SN-Ia
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/749/18
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We compare early ultraviolet (UV) observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with theoretical predictions for the brightness of the shock associated with the collision between SN ejecta and a companion star. Our simple method is independent of the intrinsic flux from the SN and treats the flux observed with the Swift/Ultra-Violet Optical Telescope as conservative upper limits on the shock brightness. Comparing this limit with the predicted flux for various shock models, we constrain the geometry of the SN progenitor-companion system. We find the model of a 1 M_{sun}_ red supergiant companion in Roche-lobe overflow to be excluded at a 95% confidence level for most individual SNe for all but the most unfavorable viewing angles. For the sample of 12 SNe taken together, the upper limits on the viewing angle are inconsistent with the expected distribution of viewing angles for red gaint stars as the majority of companions with high confidence. The separation distance constraints do allow main-sequence companions. A better understanding of the UV flux arising from the SN itself as well as continued UV observations of young SNe Ia will further constrain the possible progenitors of SNe Ia.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/753/22
- Title:
- Swift/UVOT observations of SN 2011fe
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/753/22
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present the earliest ultraviolet (UV) observations of the bright Type Ia supernova SN 2011fe/PTF11kly in the nearby galaxy M101 at a distance of only 6.4 Mpc. It was discovered shortly after explosion by the Palomar Transient Factory and first observed by Swift/UVOT about a day after explosion. The early UV light is well defined, with ~20 data points per filter in the five days after explosion. These early and well-sampled UV observations form new template light curves for comparison with observations of other SNe Ia at low and high redshift. We report fits from semiempirical models of the explosion and find the time evolution of the early UV flux to be well fitted by the superposition of two parabolic curves. Finally, we use the early UV flux measurements to examine a possible shock interaction with a non-degenerate companion. From models predicting the measurable shock emission, we find that even a solar mass companion at a distance of a few solar radii is unlikely at more than 95% confidence.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/702/226
- Title:
- Swift/UVOT panchromatic observations of SN 2008D
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/702/226
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present extensive early photometric (ultraviolet through near-infrared) and spectroscopic (optical and near-infrared) data on supernova (SN) 2008D as well as X-ray data analysis on the associated Swift X-ray transient (XRT) 080109. Our data span a time range of 5hr before the detection of the X-ray transient to 150 days after its detection, and a detailed analysis allowed us to derive constraints on the nature of the SN and its progenitor; throughout we draw comparisons with results presented in the literature and find several key aspects that differ. Our data first established that SN 2008D is a spectroscopically normal SN Ib (i.e., showing conspicuous He lines) and showed that SN 2008D had a relatively long rise time of 18 days and a modest optical peak luminosity. The early-time light curves of the SN are dominated by a cooling stellar envelope (for {Delta}t~0.1-4days, most pronounced in the blue bands) followed by ^56^Ni decay.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/768/47
- Title:
- Swift/XRT 0.2-10keV observations of SN2009ip
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/768/47
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Some supernovae (SNe) show evidence for mass-loss events taking place prior to their explosions. Measuring their pre-outburst mass-loss rates provides essential information regarding the mechanisms that are responsible for these events. Here we present XMM-Newton and Swift X-ray observations taken after the latest, and presumably the final, outburst of SN 2009ip. We use these observations as well as new near-infrared and visible-light spectra and published radio and visible-light observations to put six independent order-of-magnitude constraints on the mass-loss rate of the SN progenitor prior to the explosion. Our methods utilize the X-ray luminosity, the bound-free absorption, the H{alpha} luminosity, the SN rise time, free-free absorption, and the bolometric luminosity of the outburst detected prior to the explosion. Assuming spherical mass loss with a wind-density profile, we estimate that the effective mass-loss rate from the progenitor was between 10^-3^ and 10^-2^M_{sun}_/yr, over a few years prior to the explosion, with a velocity of ~10^3^km/s. This mass-loss rate corresponds to a total circumstellar matter (CSM) mass of ~0.04M_{sun}_, within 6x10^15^cm of the SN. We note that the mass-loss rate estimate based on the H{alpha} luminosity is higher by an order of magnitude. This can be explained if the narrow-line H{alpha} component is generated at radii larger than the shock radius, or if the CSM has an aspherical geometry. We discuss simple geometries which are consistent with our results.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/412/1070
- Title:
- Synthetic supernova extinction curves
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/412/1070
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We apply the supernova (SN) extinction curves to reproduce the observed properties of SST J1604+4304 which is a young infrared (IR) galaxy at z~1. The SN extinction curves used in this work were obtained from models of unmixed ejecta of Type II supernovae for the Salpeter initial mass function with a mass range from 8 to 30M_{sun}_ or 8 to 40M_{sun}_. The effect of dust distributions on the attenuation of starlight is investigated by performing the {chi}^2^ fitting method against various dust distributions. These are the commonly used uniform dust screen, the clumpy dust screen and the internal dust geometry. We add to these geometries three scattering properties, namely, no scattering, isotropic scattering and forward-only scattering. Judging from the {chi}^2^ values, we find that the uniform screen models with any scattering property provide good approximations to the real dust geometry.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/603/A118
- Title:
- Systematic survey of wind mass loss
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/603/A118
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Mass loss processes are a key uncertainty in the evolution of massive stars. They determine the amount of mass and angular momentum retained by the star, thus influencing its evolution and presupernova structure. Because of the high complexity of the physical processes driving mass loss, stellar evolution calculations must employ parametric algorithms, and usually only include wind mass loss. We carried out an extensive parameter study of wind mass loss and its effects on massive star evolution using the open-source stellar evolution code MESA. We provide a systematic comparison of wind mass loss algorithms for solar-metallicity, nonrotating, single stars in the initial mass range of 15M_{sun}_ to 35M_{sun}_. We consider combinations drawn from two hot phase (i.e., roughly the main sequence) algorithms, three cool phase (i.e., post-main-sequence) algorithms, and two Wolf-Rayet mass loss algorithms. We discuss separately the effects of mass loss in each of these phases. In addition, we consider linear wind efficiency scale factors of 1, 0.33, and 0.1 to account for suggested reductions in mass loss rates due to wind inhomogeneities. We find that the initial to final mass mapping for each zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) mass has a ~50% uncertainty if all algorithm combinations and wind efficiencies are considered. The ad-hoc efficiency scale factor dominates this uncertainty. While the final total mass and internal structure of our models vary tremendously with mass loss treatment, final luminosity and effective temperature are much less sensitive for stars with ZAMS mass <=30M_{sun}_. This indicates that uncertainty in wind mass loss does not negatively affect estimates of the ZAMS mass of most single-star supernova progenitors from pre-explosion observations. Our results furthermore show that the internal structure of presupernova stars is sensitive to variations in both main sequence and post main-sequence mass loss. The compactness parameter {xi}{prop.to}M/R(M) has been identified as a proxy for the "explodability" of a given presupernova model. We find that {xi} varies by as much as 30% for models of the same ZAMS mass evolved with different wind efficiencies and mass loss algorithm combinations. This suggests that the details of the mass loss treatment might bias the outcome of detailed core-collapse supernova calculations and the predictions for neutron star and black hole formation.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/II/227
- Title:
- The Asiago Supernova Catalogue 1999
- Short Name:
- II/227
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Ten years after the publication of the previous release, we present a new edition of the Asiago Supernova Catalogue updated to December 31, 1998 and containing data for 1447 supernovae and their parent galaxies. In addition to the list of the data for a large number of new SNe, we made an effort to search the literature for new information on past SNe as well. We also tried to update and homogenize the data for the parent galaxies. This catalogue supersedes the previous version <II/159>
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/154/211
- Title:
- The CSP (DR3): photometry of low-z SNe Ia
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/154/211
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present final natural-system optical (ugriBV) and near-infrared (YJH) photometry of 134 supernovae (SNe) with probable white dwarf progenitors that were observed in 2004-2009 as part of the first stage of the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP-I). The sample consists of 123 Type Ia SNe, 5 Type Iax SNe, 2 super-Chandrasekhar SN candidates, 2 Type Ia SNe interacting with circumstellar matter, and 2 SN 2006bt-like events. The redshifts of the objects range from z=0.0037 to 0.0835; the median redshift is 0.0241. For 120 (90%) of these SNe, near-infrared photometry was obtained. Average optical extinction coefficients and color terms are derived and demonstrated to be stable during the five CSP-I observing campaigns. Measurements of the CSP-I near-infrared bandpasses are also described, and near-infrared color terms are estimated through synthetic photometry of stellar atmosphere models. Optical and near-infrared magnitudes of local sequences of tertiary standard stars for each supernova are given, and a new calibration of Y-band magnitudes of the Persson et al. (1998AJ....116.2475P) standards in the CSP-I natural system is presented.
