No Arabic abstract
We propose that the energetic major outburst of the supernova (SN) impostor SN 2009ip in September 2012 (outburst 2012b) was a mergerburst event, where two massive stars merged. The previous outbursts of 2009 and 2011 might have occurred near periastron passages of the binary system prior to the merger, in a similar manner to the luminosity peaks in the nineteenth century Great Eruption of the massive binary system Eta Carinae. The major 2012b outburst and the 2012a pre-outburst, resemble the light curve of the mergerburst event V838 Mon. A merger of an evolved star with a mass of M1~60-100Mo and a secondary main sequence star of M2~0.2-0.5M1 can account for the energy of SN 2009ip and for the high velocities of the ejected gas. The ejected nebula is expected to have a non-spherical structure, e.g. bipolar or even a more complicated morphology.
SN 1961V, one of Zwickys defining Type V supernovae (SN), was a peculiar transient in NGC 1058 that has variously been categorized as either a true core collapse SN leaving a black hole (BH) or neutron star (NS) remnant, or an eruption of a luminous blue variable (LBV) star. The former case is suggested by its association with a decaying non-thermal radio source, while the latter is suggested by its peculiar transient light curve and its low initial expansion velocities. The crucial difference is that the star survives a transient eruption but not an SN. All stars identified as possible survivors are significantly fainter, L_opt ~ 10^5 Lsun, than the L_opt ~ 3 10^6 Lsun progenitor star at optical wavelengths. While this can be explained by dust absorption in a shell of material ejected during the transient, the survivor must then be present as a L_IR ~ 3 10^6 Lsun mid-infrared source. Using archival Spitzer observations of the region, we show that such a luminous mid-IR source is not present. The brightest source of dust emission is only L_IR ~ 10^5 Lsun and does not correspond to the previously identified candidates for the surviving star. The dust cannot be made sufficiently distant and cold to avoid detection unless the ejection energy, mass and velocity scales are those of a SN or greater. We conclude that SN 1961V was a peculiar, but real, supernova. Its peculiarities are probably due to enhanced mass loss just prior to the SN, followed by the interactions of the SN blast wave with this ejecta. This adds to the evidence that there is a population of SN progenitors that have major mass loss episodes shortly before core collapse. The progenitor is a low metallicity, ~1/3 solar, high mass, M_ZAMS > 80 Msun, star, which means either that BH formation can be accompanied by an SN or that surprisingly high mass stars can form a NS.
We report the results of a 3 year-long dedicated monitoring campaign of a restless Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) in NGC 7259. The object, named SN 2009ip, was observed photometrically and spectroscopically in the optical and near-infrared domains. We monitored a number of erupting episodes in the past few years, and increased the density of our observations during eruptive episodes. In this paper we present the full historical data set from 2009-2012 with multi-wavelength dense coverage of the two high luminosity events between August - September 2012. We construct bolometric light curves and measure the total luminosities of these eruptive or explosive events. We label them the 2012a event (lasting ~50 days) with a peak of 3x10^41 erg/s, and the 2012b event (14 day rise time, still ongoing) with a peak of 8x10^42 erg/s. The latter event reached an absolute R-band magnitude of about -18, comparable to that of a core-collapse supernova (SN). Our historical monitoring has detected high-velocity spectral features (~13000 km/s) in September 2011, one year before the current SN-like event. This implies that the detection of such high velocity outflows cannot, conclusively, point to a core-collapse SN origin. We suggest that the initial peak in the 2012a event was unlikely to be due to a faint core-collapse SN. We propose that the high intrinsic luminosity of the latest peak, the variability history of SN 2009ip, and the detection of broad spectral lines indicative of high-velocity ejecta are consistent with a pulsational pair-instability event, and that the star may have survived the last outburst. The question of the survival of the LBV progenitor star and its future fate remain open issues, only to be answered with future monitoring of this historically unique explosion.
Reports of the death of the precursor of Supernova (SN) 1961V in NGC 1058 are exaggerated. Consideration of the best astrometric data shows that the star, known as Object 7, lies at the greatest proximity to SN 1961V and is the likely survivor of the SN impostor super-outburst. SN 1961V does not coincide with a neighboring radio source and is therefore not a radio SN. Additionally, the current properties of Object 7, based on data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, are consistent with it being a quiescent Luminous Blue Variable (LBV). Furthermore, post-explosion non-detections by the Spitzer Space Telescope do not necessarily and sufficiently rule out a surviving LBV. We therefore consider, based on the available evidence, that it is yet a bit premature to reclassify SN 1961V as a bona fide SN. The inevitable demise of this star, though, may not be too far off.
We present results based on observations of SN 2015H which belongs to the small group of objects similar to SN 2002cx, otherwise known as type Iax supernovae. The availability of deep pre-explosion imaging allowed us to place tight constraints on the explosion epoch. Our observational campaign began approximately one day post-explosion, and extended over a period of about 150 days post maximum light, making it one of the best observed objects of this class to date. We find a peak magnitude of M$_r$ = -17.27 $pm$ 0.07, and a ($Delta m_{15})_r$ = 0.69 $pm$ 0.04. Comparing our observations to synthetic spectra generated from simulations of deflagrations of Chandrasekhar mass carbon-oxygen white dwarfs, we find reasonable agreement with models of weak deflagrations that result in the ejection of ~0.2 M$_{odot}$ of material containing ~0.07 M$_{odot}$ of 56Ni. The model light curve however, evolves more rapidly than observations, suggesting that a higher ejecta mass is to be favoured. Nevertheless, empirical modelling of the pseudo-bolometric light curve suggests that $lesssim$0.6 M_sun of material was ejected, implying that the white dwarf is not completely disrupted, and that a bound remnant is a likely outcome.
We present early-time Swift and Chandra X-ray data along with late-time optical and near-infrared observations of SN 2013by, a Type IIL supernova (SN) that occurred in the nearby spiral galaxy ESO 138$-$G10 (D $sim 14.8$ Mpc). Optical and NIR photometry and spectroscopy follow the late-time evolution of the supernova from days +89 to +457 post-maximum brightness. The optical spectra and X-ray light curves are consistent with the picture of a SN having prolonged interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) that accelerates the transition from supernova to supernova remnant (SNR). Specifically, we find SN 2013bys H$alpha$ profile exhibits significant broadening ($sim$ 10,000 km s$^{-1}$) on day +457, the likely consequence of high-velocity, H-rich material being excited by a reverse shock. A relatively flat X-ray light curve is observed that cannot be modeled using inverse-Compton scattering processes alone but requires an additional energy source most likely originating from the SN-CSM interaction. In addition, we see the first overtone of CO emission near 2.3 $mu$m on day +152, signaling the formation of molecules and dust in the SN ejecta and is the first time CO has been detected in a Type IIL supernova. We compare SN 2013by to Type IIP supernovae whose spectra show the rarely observed SN-to-SNR transition in varying degrees and conclude that Type IIL SNe may enter the remnant phase at earlier epochs than their Type IIP counterparts.