No Arabic abstract
We present HST/WFC3 ultraviolet imaging in the F275W and F336W bands of the Type IIb SN 2001ig at an age of more than 14 years. A clear point source is detected at the site of the explosion having $m_{rm F275W}=25.39 pm 0.10$ and $m_{rm F336W}=25.88 pm 0.13$ mag. Despite weak constraints on both the distance to the host galaxy NGC 7424 and the line-of-sight reddening to the supernova, this source matches the characteristics of an early B-type main sequence star having $19,000 < T_{rm eff} < 22,000$ K and $log (L_{rm bol}/L_{odot})=3.92 pm 0.14$. A BPASS v2.1 binary evolution model, with primary and secondary masses of 13 M$_{odot}$ and 9 M$_{odot}$ respectively, is found to resemble simultaneously in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram both the observed location of this surviving companion, and the primary star evolutionary endpoints for other Type IIb supernovae. This same model exhibits highly variable late-stage mass loss, as expected from the behavior of the radio light curves. A Gemini/GMOS optical spectrum at an age of 6 years reveals a narrow He II emission line, indicative of continuing interaction with a dense circumstellar medium at large radii from the progenitor. We review our findings on SN 2001ig in the context of binary evolution channels for stripped-envelope supernovae. Owing to the uncrowded nature of its environment in the ultraviolet, this study of SN 2001ig represents one of the cleanest detections to date of a surviving binary companion to a Type IIb supernova.
We report spectroscopic and photometric observations of the Type IIb SN 2011dh obtained between 4 and 34 days after the estimated date of explosion (May 31.5 UT). The data cover a wide wavelength range from 2,000 Angstroms in the UV to 2.4 microns in the NIR. Optical spectra provide line profiles and velocity measurements of HI, HeI, CaII and FeII that trace the composition and kinematics of the SN. NIR spectra show that helium is present in the atmosphere as early as 11 days after the explosion. A UV spectrum obtained with the STIS reveals that the UV flux for SN 2011dh is low compared to other SN IIb. The HI and HeI velocities in SN 2011dh are separated by about 4,000 km/s at all phases. We estimate that the H-shell of SN 2011dh is about 8 times less massive than the shell of SN 1993J and about 3 times more massive than the shell of SN 2008ax. Light curves (LC) for twelve passbands are presented. The maximum bolometric luminosity of $1.8 pm 0.2 times 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$ occurred about 22 days after the explosion. NIR emission provides more than 30% of the total bolometric flux at the beginning of our observations and increases to nearly 50% of the total by day 34. The UV produces 16% of the total flux on day 4, 5% on day 9 and 1% on day 34. We compare the bolometric light curves of SN 2011dh, SN 2008ax and SN 1993J. The LC are very different for the first twelve days after the explosions but all three SN IIb display similar peak luminosities, times of peak, decline rates and colors after maximum. This suggests that the progenitors of these SN IIb may have had similar compositions and masses but they exploded inside hydrogen shells that that have a wide range of masses. The detailed observations presented here will help evaluate theoretical models for this supernova and lead to a better understanding of SN IIb.
We present spectropolarimetric observations of the Type IIb SN 2001ig in NGC 7424; conducted with the ESO VLT FORS1 on 2001 Dec 16, 2002 Jan 3 and 2002 Aug 16 or 13, 31 and 256 days post-explosion. These observations are at three different stages of the SN evolution: (1) The hydrogen-rich photospheric phase, (2) the Type II to Type Ib transitional phase and (3) the nebular phase. At each of these stages, the observations show remarkably different polarization properties as a function of wavelength. We show that the degree of interstellar polarization is 0.17%. The low intrinsic polarization (~0.2%) at the first epoch is consistent with an almost spherical (<10% deviation from spherical symmetry) hydrogen dominated ejecta. Similar to SN 1987A and to Type IIP SNe, a sharp increase in the degree of the polarization (~1%) is observed when the outer hydrogen layer becomes optically thin by day 31; only at this epoch is the polarization well described by a ``dominant axis. The polarization angle of the data shows a rotation through ~40 degrees between the first and second epochs, indicating that the asymmetries of the first epoch were not directly coupled with those observed at the second epoch. For the most polarized lines, we observe wavelength-dependent loop structures in addition to the dominant axis on the Q-U plane. We show that the polarization properties of Type IIb SNe are roughly similar to one another, but with significant differences arising due to line blending effects especially with the high velocities observed for SN 2001ig. This suggests that the geometry of SN 2001ig is related to SN 1993J and that these events may have arisen from a similar binary progenitor system.
Core-collapse supernovae (SNe), marking the deaths of massive stars, are among the most powerful explosions in the Universe, responsible, e.g., for a predominant synthesis of chemical elements in their host galaxies. The majority of massive stars are thought to be born in close binary systems. To date, putative binary companions to the progenitors of SNe may have been detected in only two cases, SNe 1993J and 2011dh. We report on the search for a companion of the progenitor of the Type Ic SN 1994I, long considered to have been the result of binary interaction. Twenty years after explosion, we used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe the SN site in the ultraviolet (F275W and F336W bands), resulting in deep upper limits on the expected companion: F275W > 26.1 mag and F336W > 24.7 mag. These allows us to exclude the presence of a main sequence companion with a mass >~ 10 Msun. Through comparison with theoretical simulations of possible progenitor populations, we show that the upper limits to a companion detection exclude interacting binaries with semi-conservative (late Case A or early Case B) mass transfer. The limits tend to favor systems with non-conservative, late Case B mass transfer with intermediate initial orbital periods and mass ratios. The most likely mass range for a putative main sequence companion would be ~5--12 Msun, the upper end of which corresponds to the inferred upper detection limit.
We observed seven epochs of spectropolarimetry in optical wavelengths for the Type IIb SN 2011hs, ranging from -3 to +40 days with respect to V -band maximum. A high degree of interstellar polarization was detected (up to ~3 percent), with a peak lying blueward of 4500A. Similar behaviours have been seen in some Type Ia SNe, but had never been observed in a Type IIb. We find that it is most likely the result of a relative enhancement of small silicate grains in the vicinity of the SN. Significant intrinsic continuum polarization was recovered at -3 and +2 days (p = 0.55 +- 0.12 percent and p = 0.75 +- 0.11 percent, respectively). We discuss the change of the polarization angle across spectral lines and in the continuum as diagnostics for the 3D structure of the ejecta. We see a gradual rotation by about -50 degree in the continuum polarization angle between -2 and +18 days after V - band maximum. A similar rotation in He I {lambda}5876, H{alpha} and the Ca II infrared triplet seems to indicate a strong influence of the global geometry on the line polarization features. The differences in the evolution of their respective loops on the Stokes q - u plane suggest that line specific geometries are also being probed. Possible interpretations are discussed and placed in the context of literature. We find that the spectropolarimetry of SN 2011hs is most similar to that of SN 2011dh, albeit with notable differences.
We present images taken with the GMOS instrument on Gemini-South, in excellent (<0.5 arcsec) seeing, of SN 2001ig in NGC 7424, ~1000 days after explosion. A point source seen at the site of the SN is shown to have colours inconsistent with being an H II region or a SN 1993J-like remnant, but can be matched to a late-B through late-F supergiant with A_V<1. We believe this object is the massive binary companion responsible for periodic modulation in mass loss material around the Wolf-Rayet progenitor which gave rise to significant structure in the SN radio light curve.