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Register a new userThe light curve of SN 1987A revisited: constraining production masses of radioactive nuclides
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We revisit the evidence for the contribution of the long-lived radioactive nuclides 44Ti, 55Fe, 56Co, 57Co, and 60Co to the UVOIR light curve of SN 1987A. We show that the V-band luminosity constitutes a roughly constant fraction of the bolometric luminosity between 900 and 1900 days, and we obtain an approximate bolometric light curve out to 4334 days by scaling the late time V-band data by a constant factor where no bolometric light curve data is available. Considering the five most relevant decay chains starting at 44Ti, 55Co, 56Ni, 57Ni, and 60Co, we perform a least squares fit to the constructed composite bolometric light curve. For the nickel isotopes, we obtain best fit values of M(56Ni) = (7.1 +- 0.3) x 10^{-2} Msun and M(57Ni) = (4.1 +- 1.8) x 10^{-3} Msun. Our best fit 44Ti mass is M(44Ti) = (0.55 +- 0.17) x 10^{-4} Msun, which is in disagreement with the much higher (3.1 +- 0.8) x 10^{-4} Msun recently derived from INTEGRAL observations. The associated uncertainties far exceed the best fit values for 55Co and 60Co and, as a result, we only give upper limits on the production masses of M(55Co) < 7.2 x 10^{-3} Msun and M(60Co) < 1.7 x 10^{-4} Msun. Furthermore, we find that the leptonic channels in the decay of 57Co (internal conversion and Auger electrons) are a significant contribution and constitute up to 15.5% of the total luminosity. Consideration of the kinetic energy of these electrons is essential in lowering our best fit nickel isotope production ratio to [57Ni/56Ni]=2.5+-1.1, which is still somewhat high but is in agreement with gamma-ray observations and model predictions.
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We have studied the influence of the presupernova structure and the degree of Ni-56 mixing on the bolometric light curve of SN 1987A in terms of radiation hydrodynamics in the one-group approximation by abandoning LTE and by taking into account nonthermal ionization and the contribution of spectral lines to opacity. Our study shows that moderate Ni-56 mixing at velocities of < 2500 km/s can explain the observed light curve if the density of the outer layers of the presupernova exceeds the value obtained in the evolutionary model of a single nonrotating star severalfold. Abandoning LTE and allowing for nonthermal ionization when solving the equation of state and calculating the mean opacities and the thermal emission coefficient leads to a significant difference between the gas temperature and the radiation temperature in the optically thin layers of the supernova envelope. We demonstrate the fundamental role of the contribution of spectral lines to the opacity in an expanding envelope and of the accurate description of radiative transfer in reproducing the observed shape of the bolometric light curve. We have found that disregarding the contribution of spectral lines to the opacity introduces an error of 20% into the explosion energy, and that a similar error is possible when determining the mass of the ejected matter. The resonant scattering of radiation in numerous lines accelerates the outer layers to velocities of 36 000 km/s; this additional acceleration affects the outer layers with a mass of 10^{-6} Msun. Proper calculations of the supernova luminosity require that not only the delay effects, but also the limb-darkening effects be taken into account.
Even after elaborate investigations for 30 years, we still do not know well how the progenitor of SN 1987A has evolved. To explain unusual red-to-blue evolution, previous studies suggest that in a red giant stage either the increase of surface He abundance or the envelope mass was necessary. It is usually supposed that the He enhancement is caused by the rotational mixing, and the mass increase is by a binary merger. Thus, we have investigated these scenarios thoroughly. The obtained findings are that rotating single star models do not satisfy all the observational constraints and that the enhancement of envelope mass alone does not explain observations. Here, we consider a slow merger scenario in which both the He abundance and the envelope mass enhancements are expected to occur. We indeed show that most observational constraints such as the red-to-blue evolution, lifetime, total mass, position in the HR diagram at collapse, and the chemical anomalies are well reproduced by the merger model of 14 and 9 M$_{odot}$ stars. We also discuss the effects of the added envelope spin in the merger scenarios.
Based on the work of Menon & Heger (2017), we present the bolometric light curvesand spectra of the explosions of blue supergiant progenitors from binary mergers. We study SN 1987A and two other peculiar Type IIP supernovae: SN 1998A and SN 2006V. The progenitor models were produced using the stellar evolution code Keplerand then exploded using the 1D radiation hydrodynamic code Crab. The explosions of binary merger models exhibit an overall better fit to the light curve of SN 1987A than previous single star models, because of their lower helium-core masses, larger envelope masses, and smaller radii. The merger model that best matches the observational constraints of the progenitor of SN 1987A and the light curve is a model with a radius of 37 solar radii, an ejecta mass of 20.6 solar masses, an explosion energy of 1.7 Bethe, a nickel mass of 0.073 solar masses, and a nickel mixing velocity of 3,000 km/s. This model also works for SN 1998A and is comparable with earlier estimates from semi-analytic models. In the case of SN 2006V, however, a model with a radius of 150 solar radii and ejecta mass of 19.1 solar masses matches the light curve. These parameters are significantly higher than predictions from semi-analytic models for the progenitor of this supernova.
The smallest of the four detectors which claim to have observed neutrinos from SN 1987a registered the events more than 4 h earlier than the other three ones. This claim is not usually accepted because it is difficult to understand that the other (and larger) detectors did not register any events at the same time. It is shown that microlensing of the neutrinos by a star in-between the supernova (SN) and Earth can enhance the neutrino intensity at the position of one detector by more than an order of magnitude with respect to the other detectors. Such a configuration is improbable but not impossible. Essential for this enhancement is the small source diameter, of order 100 km. So if two bursts of neutrinos were emitted by SN 1987a at a separation of about 4 h it could be explained easily that the smallest detector observed the first burst while the other ones missed it and vice versa.
The Galactic blue supergiant SBW1 with its circumstellar ring nebula represents the best known analog of the progenitor of SN 1987A. High-resolution imaging has shown H-alpha and IR structures arising in an ionized flow that partly fills the rings interior. To constrain the influence of the stellar wind on this structure, we obtained an ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of the central star of SBW1 with the HST Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). The UV spectrum shows none of the typical wind signatures, indicating a very low mass-loss rate. Radiative transfer models suggest an extremely low rate below 10$^{-10}$ Msun/yr, although we find that cooling timescales probably become comparable to or longer than the flow time below 10$^{-8}$ Msun/yr. We therefore adopt this latter value as a conservative upper limit. For the central star, the model yields $T_{rm eff}$=21,000$pm$1000 K, $Lsimeq$5$times$10$^4$ $L_{odot}$, and roughly Solar composition except for enhanced N abundance. SBW1s very low mass-loss rate may hinder the winds ability to shape the surrounding nebula. The very low mass-loss rate also impairs the winds ability to shed angular momentum; the spin-down timescale for magnetic breaking is more than 500 times longer than the age of the ring. This, combined with the stars slow rotation rate, constrain merger scenarios to form ring nebulae. The mass-loss rate is at least 10 times lower than expected from mass-loss recipes, without any account of clumping. The physical explanation for why SBW1s wind is so weak presents an interesting mystery.
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