No Arabic abstract
We have been searching for surviving companions of progenitors of Galactic Type-Ia supernovae, in particular SN 1572 and SN 1006. These companion stars are expected to show peculiarities: (i) to be probably more luminous than the Sun, (ii) to have high radial velocity and proper motion, (iii) to be possibly enriched in metals from the SNIa ejecta, and (iv) to be located at the distance of the SNIa remnant. We have been characterizing possible candidate stars using high-resolution spectroscopic data taken at 10m-Keck and 8.2m-VLT facilities. We have identified a very promising candidate companion (Tycho G) for SN 1572, but we have not found any candidate companion for SN 1006, suggesting that SN event occurred in 1006 could have been the result of the merging of two white dwarfs. Adding these results to the evidence from the other direct searches, the clear minority of cases (20% or less) seem to disfavour the single-degenerate channel or that preferentially the single-degenerate escenario would involve main-sequence companions less massive than the Sun. Therefore, it appears to be very important to continue investigating these and other Galactic Type-Ia SNe such as the Johannes Kepler SN 1604.
The Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2000cx was one of the most peculiar transients ever discovered, with a rise to maximum brightness typical of a SN Ia, but a slower decline and a higher photospheric temperature. Thirteen years later SN 2013bh (aka iPTF13abc), a near identical twin, was discovered and we obtained optical and near-IR photometry and low-resolution optical spectroscopy from discovery until about 1 month past r-band maximum brightness. The spectra of both objects show iron-group elements (Co II, Ni II, Fe II, Fe III, and high-velocity features [HVFs] of Ti II), intermediate-mass elements (Si II, Si III, and S II), and separate normal velocity features (~12000 km/s) and HVFs (~24000 km/s) of Ca II. Persistent absorption from Fe III and Si III, along with the colour evolution, imply high blackbody temperatures for SNe 2013bh and 2000cx (~12000 K). Both objects lack narrow Na I D absorption and exploded in the outskirts of their hosts, indicating that the SN environments were relatively free of interstellar or circumstellar material and may imply that the progenitors came from a relatively old and low-metallicity stellar population. Models of SN 2000cx, seemingly applicable to SN 2013bh, imply the production of up to ~1 M_Sun of Ni-56 and (4.3-5.5)e-3 M_Sun of fast-moving Ca ejecta.
We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2013aa and SN 2017cbv, two nearly identical type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the host galaxy NGC 5643. The optical photometry has been obtained using the same telescope and instruments used by the Carnegie Supernova Project. This eliminates most instrumental systematics and provides light curves in a stable and well-understood photometric system. Having the same host galaxy also eliminates systematics due to distance and peculiar velocity, providing an opportunity to directly test the relative precision of SNe Ia as standard candles. The two SNe have nearly identical decline rates, negligible reddening, and remarkably similar spectra and, at a distance of $sim 20$ Mpc, are ideal as potential calibrators for the absolute distance using primary indicators such as Cepheid variables. We discuss to what extent these two SNe can be considered twins and compare them with other supernova siblings in the literature and their likely progenitor scenarios. Using 12 galaxies that hosted 2 or more SNe~Ia, we find that when using SNe~Ia, and after accounting for all sources of observational error, one gets consistency in distance to 3 percent.
We present an analysis of ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared observations of the fast-declining Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) 2007on and 2011iv, hosted by the Fornax cluster member NGC 1404. The B-band light curves of SN 2007on and SN 2011iv are characterised by dm_15(B) decline-rate values of 1.96 mag and 1.77 mag, respectively. Although they have similar decline rates, their peak B- and H-band magnitudes differ by ~0.60 mag and ~0.35 mag, respectively. After correcting for the luminosity vs. decline rate and the luminosity vs. colour relations, the peak B-band and H-band light curves provide distances that differ by ~14% and ~9%, respectively. These findings serve as a cautionary tale for the use of transitional SNe Ia located in early-type hosts in the quest to measure cosmological parameters. Interestingly, even though SN 2011iv is brighter and bluer at early times, by three weeks past maximum and extending over several months, its B-V colour is 0.12 mag redder than that of SN 2007on. To reconcile this unusual behaviour, we turn to guidance from a suite of spherical one-dimensional Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation explosion models. In this context, 56Ni production depends on both the so-called transition density and the central density of the progenitor white dwarf. To first order, the transition density drives the luminosity-width relation, while the central density is an important second-order parameter. Within this context, the differences in the B-V color evolution along the Lira regime suggests the progenitor of SN~2011iv had a higher central density than SN~2007on.
We report the discovery of an extensive system of scattered light echo arclets associated with the recent supernovae in the local neighbourhood of the Milky Way: Tycho (SN 1572) and Cassiopeia A. Existing work suggests that the Tycho SN was a thermonuclear explosion while the Cas A supernova was a core collapse explosion. Precise classifications according to modern nomenclature require spectra of the outburst light. In the case of ancient SNe, this can only be done with spectroscopy of their light echo, where the discovery of the light echoes from the outburst light is the first step. Adjacent light echo positions suggest that Cas A and Tycho may share common scattering dust structures. If so, it is possible to measure precise distances between historical Galactic supernovae. On-going surveys that alert on the development of bright scattered-light echo features have the potential to reveal detailed spectroscopic information for many recent Galactic supernovae, both directly visible and obscured by dust in the Galactic plane.
Clumpy structures are a common feature in X-ray images of young Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs). Although the precise origin of such clumps remains unclear there are three generic possibilities: clumpiness imposed during the explosion, hydrodynamic instabilities that act during the remnants evolution, and pre-existing structures in the ambient medium. In this article we focus on discriminating between clumping distributions that arise from the explosion and those from the remnants evolution using existing 3D hydrodynamical simulations. We utilize the genus statistic for this discrimination, applying it to the simulations and {it Chandra} X-ray observations of the well-known SN Ia remnant of SN 1572 (Tychos SNR). The genus curve of Tychos SNR strongly indicates a skewed non-Gaussian distribution of the ejecta clumps and is similar to the genus curve for the simulation with initially clumped ejecta. In contrast, the simulation of perfectly smooth ejecta where clumping arises from the action of hydrodynamic instabilities produced a genus curve that is similar to a random Gaussian field, but disagrees strongly with the genus curve of the observed image. Our results support a scenario in which the observed structure of SN Ia remnants arises from initial clumpiness in the explosion.