Professor Stephen Smartt CBE FRS MRIA

Abstract:

We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the 02es-like type Ia supernova (SN) 2022ywc. The transient occurred in the outskirts of an elliptical host galaxy and showed a striking double-peaked light curve with an early excess feature detected in the ATLAS orange and cyan bands. The early excess is remarkably luminous with an absolute magnitude ∼ − 19, comparable in luminosity to the subsequent radioactively driven second peak. The spectra resemble the hybrid 02es-like SN 2016jhr, which is considered to be a helium shell detonation candidate. We investigate different physical mechanisms that could power such a prominent early excess and rule out massive helium shell detonation, surface 56Ni distribution, and ejecta–companion interaction. We conclude that SN ejecta interacting with circumstellar material (CSM) is the most viable scenario. Semianalytical modeling with MOSFiT indicates that SN ejecta interacting with ∼0.05 M ⊙ of CSM at a distance of ∼1014 cm can explain the extraordinary light curve. A double-degenerate scenario may explain the origin of the CSM, by tidally stripped material from either the secondary white dwarf or disk-originated matter launched along polar axes following the disruption and accretion of the secondary white dwarf. A nonspherical CSM configuration could suggest that a small fraction of 02es-like events viewed along a favorable line of sight may be expected to display a very conspicuous early excess like SN 2022ywc

Abstract:

Moore et al.We present multiwavelength photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2022jli, an unprecedented Type Ic supernova discovered in the galaxy NGC 157 at a distance of ≈ 23 Mpc. The multiband light curves reveal many remarkable characteristics. Peaking at a magnitude of g = 15.11 ± 0.02, the high-cadence photometry reveals periodic undulations of 12.5 ± 0.2 days superimposed on the 200-day supernova decline. This periodicity is observed in the light curves from nine separate filter and instrument configurations with peak-to-peak amplitudes of ≃ 0.1 mag. This is the first time that repeated periodic oscillations, over many cycles, have been detected in a supernova light curve. SN 2022jli also displays an extreme early excess that fades over ≈25 days, followed by a rise to a peak luminosity of Lopt = 1042.1 erg s−1. Although the exact explosion epoch is not constrained by data, the time from explosion to maximum light is ≳ 59 days. The luminosity can be explained by a large ejecta mass (Mej ≈ 12 ± 6 M⊙) powered by 56Ni, but we find it difficult to quantitatively model the early excess with circumstellar interaction and cooling. Collision between the supernova ejecta and a binary companion is a possible source of this emission. We discuss the origin of the periodic variability in the light curve, including interaction of the SN ejecta with nested shells of circumstellar matter and neutron stars colliding with binary companions.ATLAS is primarily funded through NASA grants NN12AR55G, 80NSSC18K0284, and 80NSSC18K1575. The ATLAS science products are provided by the University of Hawaii, Queen's University Belfast, STScI, SAAO, and Millennium Institute of Astrophysics in Chile. M.N., S.S., A.A., and X.S. are supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 948381) and by UK Space Agency grant No. ST/Y000692/1. Lasair is supported by the UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council and is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh (grant ST/N002512/1) and QUB (grant ST/N002520/1) within the LSST:UK Science Consortium. ZTF is supported by National Science Foundation grant AST-1440341 and a collaboration including Caltech, IPAC, the Weizmann Institute for Science, the Oskar Klein Center at Stockholm University, the University of Maryland, the University of Washington, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron and Humboldt University, Los Alamos National Laboratories, the TANGO Consortium of Taiwan, the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. This work is based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, as part of ePESSTO+ (the advanced Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects Survey). ePESSTO+ observations were obtained under ESO program ID 108.220C (PI: Inserra). The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) data have been obtained via an OPTCON proposal (IDs: OPTICON 22A/004, 22B/002; European Union's Horizon 2020 grant agreement No. 730890), and the LCO team is supported by NSF grants AST-1911225 and AST-1911151. S.S., S.A.S., and S.J.S. acknowledge funding from STFC grants ST/X006506/1 and ST/T000198/1. D.B.J. and S.D.T.G. acknowledge funding from STFC grant awards ST/T00021X/1 and ST/X000923/1. D.B.J. and W.B. acknowledge support from the Leverhulme Trust via the Research Project Grant RPG-2019-371. L.G. and C.P.G. acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) 10.13039/501100011033, and the European Social Fund (ESF) "Investing in your future" under the 2019 Ramón y Cajal program RYC2019-027683-I; the Marie Skłodowska-Curie and the Beatriu de Pinós 2021 BP 00168 program and the PID2020-115253GA-I00 HOSTFLOWS project, from Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) under the PIE project 20215AT016; and the program Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2020-001058-M. We acknowledge funding from ANID, Millennium Science Initiative, ICN12_009. G.L. is supported by a research grant (19054) from VILLUM FONDEN. T.W.C. thanks the Yushan Young Fellow Program by the Ministry of Education, Taiwan for the financial support.With funding from the Spanish government through the "Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence" accreditation (CEX2020-001058-M).Peer reviewe