Observations and Spectral Modelling of the Narrow-Lined Type Ic SN 2017ein


Abstract in English

SN 2017ein is a narrow-lined Type Ic SN that was found to share a location with a point-like source in the face on spiral galaxy NGC 3938 in pre-supernova images, making SN 2017ein the first credible detection of a Type Ic progenitor. Results in the literature suggest this point-like source is likely a massive progenitor of 60-80 M$_{odot}$, depending on if the source is a binary, a single star, or a compact cluster. Using new photometric and spectral data collected for 200 days, including several nebular spectra, we generate a consistent model covering the photospheric and nebular phase using a Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Photospheric phase modelling finds an ejected mass 1.2-2.0 M$_{odot}$ with an $E_mathrm{k}$ of $sim(0.9 pm0.2)times 10^{51}$ erg, with approximately 1 M$_{odot}$ of material below 5000 km s$^{-1}$ found from the nebular spectra. Both photospheric and nebular phase modelling suggests a $^{56}$Ni mass of 0.08-0.1 M$_{odot}$. Modelling the [OI] emission feature in the nebular spectra suggests the innermost ejecta is asymmetric. The modelling results favour a low mass progenitor of to 16-20 M$_{odot}$, which is in disagreement with the pre-supernova derived high mass progenitor. This contradiction is likely due to the pre-supernova source not representing the actual progenitor.

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