SN 2015as: A low luminosity Type IIb supernova without an early light curve peak


Abstract in English

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$_{odot}$.

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