No Arabic abstract
We present spectroscopic and photometric observations of the Type IIn supernova (SN) 2008iy. SN 2008iy showed an unprecedentedly long rise time of ~400 days, making it the first SN to take significantly longer than 100 days to reach peak optical luminosity. The peak absolute magnitude of SN 2008iy was M_r ~ -19.1 mag, and the total radiated energy over the first ~700 days was ~2 x 10^50 erg. Spectroscopically, SN 2008iy is very similar to the Type IIn SN 1988Z at late times, and, like SN 1988Z, it is a luminous X-ray source (both supernovae had an X-ray luminosity L_ X > 10^41 erg/s). The Halpha emission profile of SN 2008iy shows a narrow P Cygni absorption component, implying a pre-SN wind speed of ~100 km/s. We argue that the luminosity of SN 2008iy is powered via the interaction of the SN ejecta with a dense, clumpy circumstellar medium. The ~400 day rise time can be understood if the number density of clumps increases with distance over a radius ~1.7 x 10^16 cm from the progenitor. This scenario is possible if the progenitor experienced an episodic phase of enhanced mass-loss < 1 century prior to explosion or the progenitor wind speed increased during the decades before core collapse. We favour the former scenario, which is reminiscent of the eruptive mass-loss episodes observed for luminous blue variable (LBV) stars. The progenitor wind speed and increased mass-loss rates serve as further evidence that at least some, and perhaps all, Type IIn supernovae experience LBV-like eruptions shortly before core collapse. We also discuss the host galaxy of SN 2008iy, a subluminous dwarf galaxy, and offer a few reasons why the recent suggestion that unusual, luminous supernovae preferentially occur in dwarf galaxies may be the result of observational biases.
We present photometry, spectra, and spectropolarimetry of supernova (SN) 2014ab, obtained through $sim 200$ days after peak brightness. SN 2014ab was a luminous Type IIn SN ($M_V < -19.14$ mag) discovered after peak brightness near the nucleus of its host galaxy, VV 306c. Prediscovery upper limits constrain the time of explosion to within 200 days prior to discovery. While SN 2014ab declined by $sim 1$ mag over the course of our observations, the observed spectrum remained remarkably unchanged. Spectra exhibit an asymmetric emission-line profile with a consistently stronger blueshifted component, suggesting the presence of dust or a lack of symmetry between the far side and near side of the SN. The Pa$beta$ emission line shows a profile very similar to that of H$alpha$, implying that this stronger blueshifted component is caused either through obscuration by large dust grains, occultation by optically thick material, or a lack of symmetry between the far side and near side of the interaction region. Despite these asymmetric line profiles, our spectropolarimetric data show that SN 2014ab has little detected polarization after accounting for the interstellar polarization. This suggests that we are seeing emission from a photosphere that has only small deviation from circular symmetry face-on. We are likely seeing a SN IIn with nearly circular symmetry in the plane normal to our line of sight, but with either large-grain dust or significant asymmetry in the density of circumstellar material or SN ejecta along our line of sight. We suggest that SN 2014ab and SN 2010jl (as well as other SNe IIn) may be similar events viewed from different directions.
We present high-cadence ultraviolet (UV), optical, and near-infrared (NIR) data on the luminous Type II-P supernova SN 2017gmr from hours after discovery through the first 180 days. SN 2017gmr does not show signs of narrow, high-ionization emission lines in the early optical spectra, yet the optical lightcurve evolution suggests that an extra energy source from circumstellar medium (CSM) interaction must be present for at least 2 days after explosion. Modeling of the early lightcurve indicates a ~500R$_{odot}$ progenitor radius, consistent with a rather compact red supergiant, and late-time luminosities indicate up to 0.130 $pm$ 0.026 M$_{odot}$ of $^{56}$Ni are present, if the lightcurve is solely powered by radioactive decay, although the $^{56}$Ni mass may be lower if CSM interaction contributes to the post-plateau luminosity. Prominent multi-peaked emission lines of H$alpha$ and [O I] emerge after day 154, as a result of either an asymmetric explosion or asymmetries in the CSM. The lack of narrow lines within the first two days of explosion in the likely presence of CSM interaction may be an example of close, dense, asymmetric CSM that is quickly enveloped by the spherical supernova ejecta.
We present the results based on photometric ($Swift$ UVOT), broad-band polarimetric ($V$ and $R$-band) and optical spectroscopic observations of the Type IIn supernova (SN) 2017hcc. Our study is supplemented with spectropolarimetric data available in literature for this event. The post-peak light curve evolution is slow ($sim$0.2 mag 100 d$^{-1}$ in $b$-band). The spectrum of $sim$+27 d shows a blue continuum with narrow emission lines, typical of a Type IIn SN. Archival polarization data along with the $Gaia$ DR2 distances have been utilized to evaluate the interstellar polarization (ISP) towards the SN direction which is found to be $P_{ISP}$ = 0.17 $pm$ 0.02 per cent and $theta_{ISP}$ = 140$^{circ}$ $pm$ 3$^{circ}$. To extract the intrinsic polarization of SN 2017hcc, both the observed and the literature polarization measurements were corrected for ISP. We noticed a significant decline of $sim$3.5 per cent ($V$-band) in the intrinsic level of polarization spanning a period of $sim$2 months. In contrast, the intrinsic polarization angles remain nearly constant at all epochs. Our study indicates a substantial variation in the degree of asymmetry in either the ejecta and/or the surrounding medium of SN 2017hcc. We also estimate a mass-loss rate of $dot M$ = 0.12 M$_{odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ (for $v_w$ = 20 km s$^{-1}$) which suggests that the progenitor of SN 2017hcc is most likely a Luminous Blue Variable.
We present extensive observations of SN 2018zd covering the first $sim450$,d after the explosion. This SN shows a possible shock-breakout signal $sim3.6$,hr after the explosion in the unfiltered light curve, and prominent flash-ionisation spectral features within the first week. The unusual photospheric temperature rise (rapidly from $sim 12,000$,K to above 18,000,K) within the earliest few days suggests that the ejecta were continuously heated. Both the significant temperature rise and the flash spectral features can be explained with the interaction of the SN ejecta with the massive stellar wind ($0.18^{+0.05}_{-0.10}, rm M_{odot}$), which accounts for the luminous peak ($L_{rm max} = [1.36pm 0.63] times 10^{43}, rm erg,s^{-1}$) of SN 2018zd. The luminous peak and low expansion velocity ($v approx 3300$ km s$^{-1}$) make SN 2018zd to be like a member of the LLEV (luminous SNe II with low expansion velocities) events originated due to circumstellar interaction. The relatively fast post-peak decline allows a classification of SN 2018zd as a transition event morphologically linking SNe~IIP and SNe~IIL. In the radioactive-decay phase, SN 2018zd experienced a significant flux drop and behaved more like a low-luminosity SN~IIP both spectroscopically and photometrically. This contrast indicates that circumstellar interaction plays a vital role in modifying the observed light curves of SNe~II. Comparing nebular-phase spectra with model predictions suggests that SN 2018zd arose from a star of $sim 12,rm M_{odot}$. Given the relatively small amount of $^{56}$Ni ($0.013 - 0.035 rm M_{odot}$), the massive stellar wind, and the faint X-ray radiation, the progenitor of SN 2018zd could be a massive asymptotic giant branch star which collapsed owing to electron capture.
We present results of the photometric (from 3 to 509 days past explosion) and spectroscopic (up to 230 days past explosion) monitoring campaign of the He-rich Type IIb supernova (SN) 2015as. The {it (B-V)} colour evolution of SN 2015as closely resemble those of SN 2008ax, suggesting that SN 2015as belongs to the SN IIb subgroup that does not show the early, short-duration photometric peak. The light curve of SN 2015as reaches the $B$-band maximum about 22 days after the explosion, at an absolute magnitude of -16.82 $pm$ 0.18 mag. At $sim$ 75 days after the explosion, its spectrum transitions from that of a SN II to a SN Ib. P~Cygni features due to He I lines appear at around 30 days after explosion, indicating that the progenitor of SN 2015as was partially stripped. For SN~2015as, we estimate a $^{56}$Ni mass of $sim$ 0.08 M$_{odot}$ and ejecta mass of 1.1--2.2 M$_{odot}$, which are similar to the values inferred for SN 2008ax. The quasi bolometric analytical light curve modelling suggests that the progenitor of SN 2015as has a modest mass ($sim$ 0.1 M$_{odot}$), a nearly-compact ($sim$ 0.05$times$10$^{13}$ cm) H envelope on top of a dense, compact ($sim$ 2$times$10$^{11}$ cm) and a more massive ($sim$ 1.2 M$_{odot}$) He core. The analysis of the nebular phase spectra indicates that $sim$ 0.44 M$_{odot}$ of O is ejected in the explosion. The intensity ratio of the [Ca II]/[O I] nebular lines favours either a main sequence progenitor mass of $sim$ 15 M$_{odot}$ or a Wolf Rayet star of 20 M$_{odot}$.