An emerging class of bright, fast-evolving supernovae with low-mass ejecta

Hagai Perets; Carles Badenes; Iair Arcavi; Joshua D. Simon; Avishay Gal-Yam

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/730/2/89

An emerging class of bright, fast-evolving supernovae with low-mass ejecta

Hagai Perets, Carles Badenes, Iair Arcavi, Joshua D. Simon, Avishay Gal-Yam

Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics

Weizmann Institute of Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

A recent analysis of supernova (SN) 2002bj revealed that it was an apparently unique type Ib SN. It showed a high peak luminosity, with absolute magnitude M _R -18.5, but an extremely fast-evolving light curve. It had a rise time of <7days followed by a decline of 0.25magday^-1 in B band and showed evidence for very low mass of ejecta (<0.15 M ₁). Here we discuss two additional historical events, SN 1885A and SN 1939B, showing similarly fast light curves and low ejected masses. We discuss the low mass of ejecta inferred from our analysis of the SN 1885A remnant in M31 and present for the first time the spectrum of SN 1939B. The old environments of both SN 1885A (in the bulge of M31) and SN 1939B (in an elliptical galaxy with no traces of star formation activity) strongly support old white dwarf (WD) progenitors for these SNe. We find no clear evidence for helium in the spectrum of SN 1939B, as might be expected from a helium-shell detonation on a WD, suggested to be the origin of SN 2002bj. Finally, the discovery of all the observed fast-evolving SNe in nearby galaxies suggests that the rate of these peculiar SNe is at least 1%-2% of all SNe.

Original language	English
Article number	89
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	730
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/730/2/89
State	Published - 1 Apr 2011

Keywords

supernovae: general
supernovae: individual (1885A, 1939B, 2002bj)
white dwarfs

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1088/0004-637X/730/2/89

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@article{27a6ae4d711b46b88408070fb6a08a3d,

title = "An emerging class of bright, fast-evolving supernovae with low-mass ejecta",

abstract = "A recent analysis of supernova (SN) 2002bj revealed that it was an apparently unique type Ib SN. It showed a high peak luminosity, with absolute magnitude M R -18.5, but an extremely fast-evolving light curve. It had a rise time of <7days followed by a decline of 0.25magday-1 in B band and showed evidence for very low mass of ejecta (<0.15 M 1). Here we discuss two additional historical events, SN 1885A and SN 1939B, showing similarly fast light curves and low ejected masses. We discuss the low mass of ejecta inferred from our analysis of the SN 1885A remnant in M31 and present for the first time the spectrum of SN 1939B. The old environments of both SN 1885A (in the bulge of M31) and SN 1939B (in an elliptical galaxy with no traces of star formation activity) strongly support old white dwarf (WD) progenitors for these SNe. We find no clear evidence for helium in the spectrum of SN 1939B, as might be expected from a helium-shell detonation on a WD, suggested to be the origin of SN 2002bj. Finally, the discovery of all the observed fast-evolving SNe in nearby galaxies suggests that the rate of these peculiar SNe is at least 1%-2% of all SNe.",

keywords = "supernovae: general, supernovae: individual (1885A, 1939B, 2002bj), white dwarfs",

author = "Hagai Perets and Carles Badenes and Iair Arcavi and Simon, {Joshua D.} and Avishay Gal-Yam",

note = "Israeli Science Foundation; EU; Peter and Patricia Gruber Awards; Weizmann Minerva program; Benoziyo Center for AstrophysicsWe thank Steve Reynolds, Zhiyuan Li, Mike Garcia, and Eduardo Bravo for helpful discussions and data on SNR 1885A. We thank Dovi Poznanski and Ryan Chornock for helpful discussions about fast SNe and data on SN 2002bj. We also thank John Grula, George Carlson, Wal Sargent, Hy Spinrad, Ivan King, Donna Kirkpatrick, Francois Schweizer, George Preston, Andy McWilliam, Doug Mink, and Bob Kirshner for helping with locating, reducing, and analyzing the original spectroscopic plate of SN 1939B. We also thank the anonymous referee, and the second referee, David Branch, for their helpful comments. H.B.P. is a CfA and BIKURA (FIRST) fellow. A.G. is supported by grants from the Israeli Science Foundation, an EU FP7 Marie Curie IRG Fellowship, a research grant from the Peter and Patricia Gruber Awards, the Weizmann Minerva program, and the Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics.",

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doi = "10.1088/0004-637X/730/2/89",

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T1 - An emerging class of bright, fast-evolving supernovae with low-mass ejecta

AU - Perets, Hagai

AU - Badenes, Carles

AU - Arcavi, Iair

AU - Simon, Joshua D.

AU - Gal-Yam, Avishay

N1 - Israeli Science Foundation; EU; Peter and Patricia Gruber Awards; Weizmann Minerva program; Benoziyo Center for AstrophysicsWe thank Steve Reynolds, Zhiyuan Li, Mike Garcia, and Eduardo Bravo for helpful discussions and data on SNR 1885A. We thank Dovi Poznanski and Ryan Chornock for helpful discussions about fast SNe and data on SN 2002bj. We also thank John Grula, George Carlson, Wal Sargent, Hy Spinrad, Ivan King, Donna Kirkpatrick, Francois Schweizer, George Preston, Andy McWilliam, Doug Mink, and Bob Kirshner for helping with locating, reducing, and analyzing the original spectroscopic plate of SN 1939B. We also thank the anonymous referee, and the second referee, David Branch, for their helpful comments. H.B.P. is a CfA and BIKURA (FIRST) fellow. A.G. is supported by grants from the Israeli Science Foundation, an EU FP7 Marie Curie IRG Fellowship, a research grant from the Peter and Patricia Gruber Awards, the Weizmann Minerva program, and the Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics.

PY - 2011/4/1

Y1 - 2011/4/1

N2 - A recent analysis of supernova (SN) 2002bj revealed that it was an apparently unique type Ib SN. It showed a high peak luminosity, with absolute magnitude M R -18.5, but an extremely fast-evolving light curve. It had a rise time of <7days followed by a decline of 0.25magday-1 in B band and showed evidence for very low mass of ejecta (<0.15 M 1). Here we discuss two additional historical events, SN 1885A and SN 1939B, showing similarly fast light curves and low ejected masses. We discuss the low mass of ejecta inferred from our analysis of the SN 1885A remnant in M31 and present for the first time the spectrum of SN 1939B. The old environments of both SN 1885A (in the bulge of M31) and SN 1939B (in an elliptical galaxy with no traces of star formation activity) strongly support old white dwarf (WD) progenitors for these SNe. We find no clear evidence for helium in the spectrum of SN 1939B, as might be expected from a helium-shell detonation on a WD, suggested to be the origin of SN 2002bj. Finally, the discovery of all the observed fast-evolving SNe in nearby galaxies suggests that the rate of these peculiar SNe is at least 1%-2% of all SNe.

AB - A recent analysis of supernova (SN) 2002bj revealed that it was an apparently unique type Ib SN. It showed a high peak luminosity, with absolute magnitude M R -18.5, but an extremely fast-evolving light curve. It had a rise time of <7days followed by a decline of 0.25magday-1 in B band and showed evidence for very low mass of ejecta (<0.15 M 1). Here we discuss two additional historical events, SN 1885A and SN 1939B, showing similarly fast light curves and low ejected masses. We discuss the low mass of ejecta inferred from our analysis of the SN 1885A remnant in M31 and present for the first time the spectrum of SN 1939B. The old environments of both SN 1885A (in the bulge of M31) and SN 1939B (in an elliptical galaxy with no traces of star formation activity) strongly support old white dwarf (WD) progenitors for these SNe. We find no clear evidence for helium in the spectrum of SN 1939B, as might be expected from a helium-shell detonation on a WD, suggested to be the origin of SN 2002bj. Finally, the discovery of all the observed fast-evolving SNe in nearby galaxies suggests that the rate of these peculiar SNe is at least 1%-2% of all SNe.

KW - supernovae: general

KW - supernovae: individual (1885A, 1939B, 2002bj)

KW - white dwarfs

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U2 - 10.1088/0004-637X/730/2/89

DO - 10.1088/0004-637X/730/2/89

M3 - مقالة

SN - 0004-637X

VL - 730

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 2

M1 - 89

ER -

An emerging class of bright, fast-evolving supernovae with low-mass ejecta

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Keywords

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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