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Register a new userThe Large-Scale Environments of Type Ia Supernovae: Evidence for a Metallicity Bias in the Rate or Luminosity of Prompt Ia Events
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Michael C. Cooper
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Using data drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the SDSS-II Supernova Survey, we study the local environments of confirmed type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the nearby Universe. At 0.05 < z < 0.15, we find that SN Ia events in blue, star-forming galaxies occur preferentially in regions of lower galaxy density relative to galaxies of like stellar mass and star-formation rate, while SNe Ia in nearby red galaxies show no significant environment dependence within the measurement uncertainties. Even though our samples of SNe in red hosts are relatively small in number, tests on simulated galaxy samples suggest that the observed distribution of environments for red SN Ia hosts is in poor agreement with a cluster type Ia rate strongly elevated relative to the field rate. Finally, after considering the impact of galaxy morphology, stellar age, stellar metallicity, and other relevant galaxy properties, we conclude that the observed correlation between the SN Ia rate and environment in the star-forming galaxy population is likely driven by a gas-phase metallicity effect, such that prompt type Ia supernovae occur more often or are more luminous in metal-poor systems.
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We present 2603 spectra of 462 nearby Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) obtained during 1993-2008 through the Center for Astrophysics Supernova Program. Most of the spectra were obtained with the FAST spectrograph at the FLWO 1.5m telescope and reduced in a consistent manner, making data set well suited for studies of SN Ia spectroscopic diversity. We study the spectroscopic and photometric properties of SN Ia as a function of spectroscopic class using the classification schemes of Branch et al. and Wang et al. The width-luminosity relation appears to be steeper for SN Ia with broader lines. Based on the evolution of the characteristic Si II 6355 line, we propose improved methods for measuring velocity gradients, revealing a larger range than previously suspected, from ~0 to ~400 km/s/day considering the instantaneous velocity decline rate at maximum light. We find a weaker and less significant correlation between Si II velocity and intrinsic B-V color at maximum light than reported by Foley et al., owing to a more comprehensive treatment of uncertainties and host galaxy dust. We study the extent of nuclear burning and report new detections of C II 6580 in 23 early-time spectra. The frequency of C II detections is not higher in SN Ia with bluer colors or narrower light curves, in conflict with the recent results of Thomas et al. Based on nebular spectra of 27 SN Ia, we find no relation between the FWHM of the iron emission feature at ~4700 A and Dm15(B) after removing the two low-luminosity SN 1986G and SN 1991bg, suggesting that the peak luminosity is not strongly dependent on the kinetic energy of the explosion for most SN Ia. Finally, we confirm the correlation of velocity shifts in some nebular lines with the intrinsic B-V color of SN Ia at maximum light, although several outliers suggest a possible non-monotonic behavior for the largest blueshifts.
The ultimate understanding of Type Ia Supernovae diversity is one of the most urgent issues to exploit thermonuclear explosions of accreted White Dwarfs (WDs) as cosmological yardsticks. In particular, we investigate the impact of the progenitor system metallicity on the physical and chemical properties of the WD at the explosion epoch. We analyze the evolution of CO WDs through the accretion and simmering phases by using evolutionary models based on time-dependent convective mixing and an extended nuclear network including the most important electron captures, beta decays and URCA processes. We find that, due to URCA processes and electron-captures, the neutron excess and density at which the thermal runaway occurs are substantially larger than previously claimed. Moreover, we find that the higher the progenitor metallicity, the larger the neutron excess variation during the accretion and simmering phases and the higher the central density and the convective velocity at the explosion. Hence, the simmering phase acts as an amplifier of the differences existing in SNe Ia progenitors. When applying our results to the neutron excess estimated for the Tycho and Kepler young Supernova remnants, we derive that the metallicity of the progenitors should be in the range Z=0.030-0.032, close to the average metallicity value of the thin disk of the Milky Way. As the amount of ${^{56}}$Ni produced in the explosion depends on the neutron excess and central density at the thermal runaway, our results suggest that the light curve properties depend on the progenitor metallicity.
We have assembled a dataset of 165 low redshift, $z<$0.06, publicly available type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We produce maximum light magnitude ($M_{B}$ and $M_{V}$) distributions of SNe Ia to explore the diversity of parameter space that they can fill. Before correction for host galaxy extinction we find that the mean $M_{B}$ and $M_{V}$ of SNe Ia are $-18.58pm0.07$mag and $-18.72pm0.05$mag respectively. Host galaxy extinction is corrected using a new method based on the SN spectrum. After correction, the mean values of $M_{B}$ and $M_{V}$ of SNe Ia are $-19.10pm0.06$ and $-19.10pm0.05$mag respectively. After correction for host galaxy extinction, `normal SNeIa ($Delta m_{15}(B)<1.6$mag) fill a larger parameter space in the Width-Luminosity Relation (WLR) than previously suggested, and there is evidence for luminous SNe Ia with large $Delta m_{15}(B)$. We find a bimodal distribution in $Delta m_{15}(B)$, with a pronounced lack of transitional events at $Delta m_{15}(B)$=1.6 mag. We confirm that faster, low-luminosity SNe tend to come from passive galaxies. Dividing the sample by host galaxy type, SNe Ia from star-forming (S-F) galaxies have a mean $M_{B}=-19.20 pm 0.05$ mag, while SNe Ia from passive galaxies have a mean $M_{B}=-18.57 pm 0.24$ mag. Even excluding fast declining SNe, `normal ($M_{B}<-18$ mag) SNe Ia from S-F and passive galaxies are distinct. In the $V$-band, there is a difference of 0.4$ pm $0.13 mag between the median ($M_{V}$) values of the `normal SN Ia population from passive and S-F galaxies. This is consistent with ($sim 15 pm $10)% of `normal SNe Ia from S-F galaxies coming from an old stellar population.
A key tracer of the elusive progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is the detection of narrow blueshifted time-varying Na I D absorption lines, interpreted as evidence of circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding the progenitor system. The origin of this material is controversial, but the simplest explanation is that it results from previous mass loss in a system containing a white dwarf and a non-degenerate companion star. We present new single-epoch intermediate-resolution spectra of 17 low-redshift SNe Ia taken with XShooter on the ESO Very Large Telescope. Combining this sample with events from the literature, we confirm an excess (~20 per cent) of SNe Ia displaying blueshifted narrow Na I D absorption features compared to non-blueshifted Na I D features. The host galaxies of SNe Ia displaying blueshifted absorption profiles are skewed towards later-type galaxies, compared to SNe Ia that show no Na I D absorption, and SNe Ia displaying blueshifted narrow Na I D absorption features have broader light curves. The strength of the Na I D absorption is stronger in SNe Ia displaying blueshifted Na I D absorption features than those without blueshifted features, and the strength of the blueshifted Na I D is correlated with the B-V colour of the SN at maximum light. This strongly suggests the absorbing material is local to the SN. In the context of the progenitor systems of SNe Ia, we discuss the significance of these findings and other recent observational evidence on the nature of SN Ia progenitors. We present a summary that suggests there are at least two distinct populations of normal, cosmologically useful SNe Ia.
We review all the models proposed for the progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each scenario when confronted with observations. We show that all scenarios encounter at least a few serious diffculties, if taken to represent a comprehensive model for the progenitors of all Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Consequently, we tentatively conclude that there is probably more than one channel leading SNe Ia. While the single-degenerate scenario (in which a single white dwarf accretes mass from a normal stellar companion) has been studied in some detail, the other scenarios will need a similar level of scrutiny before any firm conclusions can be drawn.
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