Hintze Centre for Astrophysical Surveys

Abstract:

We report the results of a photometric and spectroscopic follow-up campaign of the unusual interacting supernova (SN) 2022pda. Precursor variability lasting ∼100 days is observed before the explosion. The SN light curve has a double-peak shape. It reached a first maximum of Mr = −19.6 ± 0.2 mag, followed by an initial 2 month decline and a second, broad peak lasting about 6 months. The early spectra show a blue continuum with dominant H and He emission lines. A high-resolution pre-maximum spectrum shows that the profile of the He i λ 5876 line consists of a moderately narrow (∼1900 km s−1) P Cygni absorption superposed on a broader (∼3300 km s−1) component. In the blue region, several spectral features are identified, including C iii/N iii/O ii blends. Two broad bumps at 4600–5200 Å and 6400–6800 Å regions reveal a complex profile, which are likely due to blends of H, He, and other emission lines. Late-time spectra are still dominated by prominent and broad H and He lines in emission. Shock-driven model fits to the bolometric light curve suggest that the SN is powered by interaction with a massive CSM with enhanced mass-loss rates ∼5 M⊙yr−1, expelled during two events that occurred ∼1 and ∼0.2 yr before the explosion. The overall SN evolution indicates that SN 2022pda is a transitional event between an H-rich SN IIn (SN 2009ip-like) and an He-rich SN Ibn. Our findings suggest that the progenitor was likely a luminous blue variable transitioning towards a Wolf–Rayet stage.

Abstract:

We present a catalogue of H i sources extracted from the MIGHTEE survey data cubes covering the COSMOS field. The catalogue contains 293 sources in the redshift range of . In addition to H i masses and velocity widths, the catalogue includes optical through near-infrared photometry and inferred stellar masses and star-formation rates. The quantity of sources in the H i catalogue acquired through untargeted source finding is greatly influenced by the source finding methods used. This study therefore also provides a well-characterized expected completeness of the detected sample of galaxies based on their properties, informing of any detection biases, inferred through a comparative study of different source finding algorithms. We have tested the performance of widely-used source finders: pybdsf, profound, and sofia, along with new source finder leshi, focusing exclusively on H i source detection rather than source characterization in the first instance. The source finders were tested by injecting a sample of simulated galaxies divided into narrow bins of mass, inclination and distance into a MeerKAT data cube. The results inform the source finding strategies for the MeerKAT International GigaHertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) survey, as well as upcoming SKAO surveys.

Abstract:

ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial Last Alert System) is a time-domain survey using four telescopes, covering the entire sky. It has observed 8378 spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), with thousands of cosmology-grade light curves (to be released as TITAN DR1). To prepare this massive, low-redshift dataset for cosmology, we evaluate and cross-calibrate ATLAS forced photometry using tertiary stars from the DES (Dark Energy Survey) Y6 release. The 5000 deg2 DES footprint overlaps regions both in and out of the PS1 (Pan-STARRS DR1) footprint, allowing tests of the primary calibrator for the ATLAS Refcat2 catalog. Initial offsets are at the ∼40 mmag scale. To improve this, we determine Δ zero-point offsets for two cases: (1) pixel-to-pixel offsets within individual CCDs (reduced from ∼8 to ∼4 mmag rms) and (2) chip-to-chip offsets across the nine CCDs and filters (reduced from ∼17 to ∼3 mmag rms). We also identify the largest systematic uncertainty as a transmission-function color dependence, requiring shifts in the assumed ATLAS filters at the ∼30 mmag level if uncorrected. We validate our calibration using (a) CALSPEC standards, (b) an independent tertiary catalog, and (c) distance moduli of cross-matched SNe Ia, all showing improved consistency. Overall, we estimate combined calibration-related systematics at the ∼5–10 mmag level, supporting competitive cosmological constraints with the TITAN SN Ia dataset.

Abstract:

Abstract Synchrotron self absorption (SSA) is seen across a variety of astrophysical sources, and observation of an SSA peak in the spectrum is a powerful tool for estimating the physical conditions and the minimum energy of the emitting region. We begin with the (re)derivation of the usual SSA parameter estimates, carefully considering dependencies and assumptions, obtaining the most accurate traditional SSA minimum energy equations currently available. Traditional methods rely on the assumption that the emitting region is quasi-spherical and homogeneous. However, many observations of SSA show that the spectral index at frequencies below the peak is less than the expected +2.5 (non-thermal) or +2 (thermal). We argue that an inhomogeneous emitting region is the most likely explanation in many cases. Power law inhomogeneous cylindrical slab and broken power law inhomogeneous sphere models are used to investigate how the presence of inhomogeneity affects parameter estimates using traditional SSA methods. We find that in some cases inhomogeneity can lead to traditional SSA methods underestimating the minimum energy and the size of the emitting region by over an order of magnitude. Quantitative correction factors are found which can be applied to traditional estimates to correct for inhomogeneity, depending on the value of the observed flattened spectral index and the range in frequency over which this value is observed. Furthermore, we derive simple correction factors for non-spherical homogeneous emitting regions. Finally, we explore the effects of inhomogeneity on measurements of polarisation around the spectral peak, and on lightcurves for expanding emitting regions.