No Arabic abstract
We present the discovery and the photometric and spectroscopic study of H-rich Type II supernova (SN) KSP-SN-2016kf (SN2017it) observed in the KMTNet Supernova Program in the outskirts of a small irregular galaxy at $zsimeq0.043$ within a day from the explosion. Our high-cadence, multi-color ($BVI$) light curves of the SN show that it has a very long rise time ($t_text{rise}simeq 20$ days in $V$ band), a moderately luminous peak ($M_Vsimeq -$17.6 mag), a notably luminous and flat plateau ($M_Vsimeq -$17.4 mag and decay slope $ssimeq0.53$ mag per 100 days), and an exceptionally bright radioactive tail. Using the color-dependent bolometric correction to the light curves, we estimate the $^{56}$Ni mass powering the observed radioactive tail to be $0.10pm0.01$ M$_odot$, making it a H-rich Type II SN with one of the largest $^{56}$Ni masses observed to date. The results of our hydrodynamic simulations of the light curves constrain the mass and radius of the progenitor at the explosion to be $sim$15 M$_odot$ (evolved from a star with an initial mass of $sim$ 18.8 M$_odot$) and $sim1040$ R$_odot$, respectively, with the SN explosion energy of $sim 1.3times 10^{51}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The above-average mass of the KSP-SN-2016kf progenitor, together with its low metallicity $ Z/Z_odot simeq0.1-0.4$ obtained from spectroscopic analysis, is indicative of a link between the explosion of high-mass red supergiants and their low-metallicity environment. The early part of the observed light curves shows the presence of excess emission above what is predicted in model calculations, suggesting there is interaction between the ejecta and circumstellar material. We further discuss the implications of the high progenitor initial mass and low-metallicity environment of KSP-SN-2016kf on our understanding of the origin of Type II SNe.
We report the early discovery and multi-color ($BVI$) high-cadence light curve analyses of a rapidly-declining sub-Chandrasekhar Type Ia supernova KSP-OT-201509b (= AT2015cx) from the KMTNet Supernova Program. The Phillips parameter and color stretch parameter of KSP-OT-201509b (= AT2015cx) are $Delta$$M_{B,15}$ $simeq$ 1.62 mag and $s_{BV}$ $simeq$ 0.54, respectively, at an inferred redshift of 0.072. These, together with other measured parameters (such as the strength of the secondary $I$-band peak, colors and luminosity), identify the source to be a rapidly-declining Type Ia of transitional nature that is closer to Branch Normal than 91bg-like. Its early light curve evolution and bolometric luminosity are consistent with those of homologously expanding ejecta powered by radioactive decay and a Type Ia SN explosion with 0.32 $pm$ 0.01 $M_{odot}$ of synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass, 0.84 $pm$ 0.12 $M_{odot}$ of ejecta mass and (0.61 $pm$ 0.14) $times$ 10$^{51}$ erg of ejecta kinetic energy. While its $B-V$ and $V-I$ colors evolve largely synchronously with the changes in the $I$-band light curve as found in other supernovae, we also find the presence of an early redward evolution in $V-I$ prior to --10 days since peak. The bolometric light curve of the source is compatible with a stratified $^{56}$Ni distribution extended to shallow layers of the exploding progenitor. Comparisons between the observed light curves and those predicted from ejecta-companion interactions clearly disfavor Roche Lobe-filling companion stars at large separation distances, thus supporting a double-degenerate scenario for its origin. The lack of any apparent host galaxy in our deep stack images reaching a sensitivity limit of $sim$ 28 $rm mag;arcsec^{-2}$ makes KSP-OT-201509b a hostless Type Ia supernova and offers new insights into supernova host galaxy environments.
We present a multi-color, high-cadence photometric study of a distant dwarf nova KSP-OT-201611a discovered by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network Supernova Program. From October 2016 to May 2017, two outbursts, which comprises a super/long outburst followed by a normal/short outburst separated by $sim$91 days, were detected in the $BVI$ bands. The shapes and amplitudes of the outbursts reveal the nature of KSP-OT-201611a to be an SU UMa- or U Gem-type dwarf nova. Color variations of periodic humps in the super/long outburst possibly indicate that KSP-OT-201611a is an SU UMa-type dwarf nova. The super and normal outbursts show distinctively different color evolutions during the outbursts due most likely to the difference of time when the cooling wave is formed in the accretion disk. The outburst peak magnitudes and the orbital period of the dwarf nova indicate that it is at a large Galactocentric distance ($sim$13.8 kpc) and height ($sim$1.7 kpc) from the Galactic plane. KSP-OT-201611a, therefore, may provide a rare opportunity to study the accretion disk process of Population II dwarf novae.
We present observations of the unusually luminous Type II supernova (SN) 2016gsd. With a peak absolute magnitude of V = $-$19.95 $pm$ 0.08, this object is one of the brightest Type II SNe, and lies in the gap of magnitudes between the majority of Type II SNe and the superluminous SNe. Its light curve shows little evidence of the expected drop from the optically thick phase to the radioactively powered tail. The velocities derived from the absorption in H$alpha$ are also unusually high with the blue edge tracing the fastest moving gas initially at 20000 km s$^{-1}$, and then declining approximately linearly to 15000 km s$^{-1}$ over $sim$100 d. The dwarf host galaxy of the SN indicates a low-metallicity progenitor which may also contribute to the weakness of the metal lines in its spectra. We examine SN 2016gsd with reference to similarly luminous, linear Type II SNe such as SNe 1979C and 1998S, and discuss the interpretation of its observational characteristics. We compare the observations with a model produced by the JEKYLL code and find that a massive star with a depleted and inflated hydrogen envelope struggles to reproduce the high luminosity and extreme linearity of SN 2016gsd. Instead, we suggest that the influence of interaction between the SN ejecta and circumstellar material can explain the majority of the observed properties of the SN. The high velocities and strong H$alpha$ absorption present throughout the evolution of the SN may imply a circumstellar medium configured in an asymmetric geometry.
We present optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2009ib, a Type II-P supernova in NGC 1559. This object has moderate brightness, similar to those of the intermediate-luminosity SNe 2008in and 2009N. Its plateau phase is unusually long, lasting for about 130 days after explosion. The spectra are similar to those of the subluminous SN 2002gd, with moderate expansion velocities. We estimate the $^{56}$Ni mass produced as $0.046 pm 0.015,{rm M}_{sun}$. We determine the distance to SN 2009ib using both the expanding photosphere method (EPM) and the standard candle method. We also apply EPM to SN 1986L, a type II-P SN that exploded in the same galaxy. Combining the results of different methods, we conclude the distance to NGC 1559 as $D=19.8 pm 3.0$ Mpc. We examine archival, pre-explosion images of the field taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, and find a faint source at the position of the SN, which has a yellow colour ($(V-I)_0 = 0.85$ mag). Assuming it is a single star, we estimate its initial mass as $M_{rm ZAMS}=20,{rm M}_{sun}$. We also examine the possibility, that instead of the yellow source the progenitor of SN 2009ib is a red supergiant star too faint to be detected. In this case we estimate the upper limit for the initial zero-age main sequence mass of the progenitor to be $sim 14-17,{rm M}_{sun}$. In addition, we infer the physical properties of the progenitor at the explosion via hydrodynamical modelling of the observables, and estimate the total energy as $sim 0.55 times 10^{51}$~erg, the pre-explosion radius as $sim 400,{rm R}_{sun}$, and the ejected envelope mass as $sim 15,{rm M}_{sun}$, which implies that the mass of the progenitor before explosion was $sim 16.5-17,{rm M}_{sun}$.
We present optical spectroscopy together with ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared photometry of SN 2019hcc, which resides in a host galaxy at redshift 0.044, displaying a sub-solar metallicity. The supernova spectrum near peak epoch shows a `w shape at around 4000 {AA} which is usually associated with O II lines and is typical of Type I superluminous supernovae. SN 2019hcc post-peak spectra show a well-developed H alpha P-Cygni profile from 19 days past maximum and its light curve, in terms of its absolute peak luminosity and evolution, resembles that of a fast-declining Hydrogen-rich supernova (SN IIL). The object does not show any unambiguous sign of interaction as there is no evidence of narrow lines in the spectra or undulations in the light curve. Our tardis spectral modelling of the first spectrum shows that Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen (CNO) at 19000 K reproduce the `w shape and suggests that a combination of non-thermally excited CNO and metal lines at 8000 K could reproduce the feature seen at 4000 {AA}. The Bolometric light curve modelling reveals that SN 2019hcc could be fit with a magnetar model, showing a relatively strong magnetic field (B > 3 x 10^14 G), which matches the peak luminosity and rise time without powering up the light curve to superluminous luminosities. The high-energy photons produced by the magnetar would then be responsible for the detected O II lines. As a consequence, SN 2019hcc shows that a `w shape profile at around 4000 {AA}, usually attributed to O II, is not only shown in superluminous supernovae and hence it should not be treated as the sole evidence of the belonging to such a supernova type.