No Arabic abstract
We present a set of nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium steady-state calculations of radiative transfer for one-year old type II supernovae (SNe) starting from state-of-the-art explosion models computed with detailed nucleosynthesis. This grid covers single-star progenitors with initial masses between 9 and 29$M_{odot}$, all evolved with KEPLER at solar metallicity and ignoring rotation. The [OI]$lambdalambda$$6300,6364$ line flux generally grows with progenitor mass, and H$alpha$ exhibits an equally strong and opposite trend. The [CaII]$lambdalambda$$7291,,7323$ strength increases at low $^{56}$Ni mass, low explosion energy, or with clumping. This CaII doublet, which forms primarily in the explosively-produced Si/S zones, depends little on the progenitor mass, but may strengthen if Ca$^+$ dominates in the H-rich emitting zones or if Ca is abundant in the O-rich zones. Indeed, Si-O shell merging prior to core collapse may boost the CaII doublet at the expense of the OI doublet, and may thus mimic the metal line strengths of a lower mass progenitor. We find that the $^{56}$Ni bubble effect has a weak impact, probably because it is too weak to induce much of an ionization shift in the various emitting zones. Our simulations compare favorably to observed SNe II, including SN2008bk (e.g., 9$M_{odot}$ model), SN2012aw (12$M_{odot}$ model), SN1987A (15$M_{odot}$ model), or SN2015bs (25$M_{odot}$ model with no Si-O shell merging). SNe II with narrow lines and a low $^{56}$Ni mass are well matched by the weak explosion of 9$-$11$M_{odot}$ progenitors. The nebular-phase spectra of standard SNe II can be explained with progenitors in the mass range 12$-$15$M_{odot}$, with one notable exception for SN2015bs. In the intermediate mass range, these mass estimates may increase by a few $M_{odot}$ with allowance for clumping of the O-rich material or CO molecular cooling.
Nebular phase spectra of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) provide critical and unique information on the progenitor massive star and its explosion. We present a set of 1-D steady-state non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer calculations of type II SNe at 300d after explosion. Guided by results for a large set of stellar evolution simulations, we craft ejecta models for type II SNe from the explosion of a 12, 15, 20, and 25Msun star. The ejecta density structure and kinetic energy, the 56Ni mass, and the level of chemical mixing are parametrized. Our model spectra are sensitive to the adopted line Doppler width, a phenomenon we associate with the overlap of FeII and OI lines with Lyalpha and Lybeta. Our spectra show a strong sensitivity to 56Ni mixing since it determines where decay power is absorbed. Even at 300d after explosion, the H-rich layers reprocess the radiation from the inner metal rich layers. In a given progenitor model, variations in 56Ni mass and distribution impact the ejecta ionization, which can modulate the strength of all lines. Such ionization shifts can quench CaII line emission. In our set of models, the OI6300 doublet strength is the most robust signature of progenitor mass. However, we emphasize that convective shell merging in the progenitor massive star interior can pollute the O-rich shell with Ca, which will weaken the OI6300 doublet flux in the resulting nebular SN II spectrum. This process may occur in Nature, with a greater occurrence in higher mass progenitors, and may explain in part the preponderance of progenitor masses below 17Msun inferred from nebular spectra.
A large fraction of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), 30-50%, are expected to originate from the low-mass end of progenitors with $M_{rm ZAMS}~= 8-12~M_odot$. However, degeneracy effects make stellar evolution modelling of such stars challenging, and few predictions for their supernova light curves and spectra have been presented. Here we calculate synthetic nebular spectra of a 9 $M_odot$ Fe CCSN model exploded with the neutrino mechanism. The model predicts emission lines with FWHM$sim$1000 km/s, including signatures from each deep layer in the metal core. We compare this model to observations of the three subluminous IIP SNe with published nebular spectra; SN 1997D, SN 2005cs, and SN 2008bk. The prediction of both line profiles and luminosities are in good agreement with SN 1997D and SN 2008bk. The close fit of a model with no tuning parameters provides strong evidence for an association of these objects with low-mass Fe CCSNe. For SN 2005cs, the interpretation is less clear, as the observational coverage ended before key diagnostic lines from the core had emerged. We perform a parameterised study of the amount of explosively made stable nickel, and find that none of these three SNe show the high $^{58}$Ni/$^{56}$Ni ratio predicted by current models of electron capture SNe (ECSNe) and ECSN-like explosions. Combined with clear detection of lines from O and He shell material, these SNe rather originate from Fe core progenitors. We argue that the outcome of self-consistent explosion simulations of low-mass stars, which gives fits to many key observables, strongly suggests that the class of subluminous Type IIP SNe is the observational counterpart of the lowest mass CCSNe.
Observational surveys are now able to detect an increasing number of transients, such as core-collapse supernovae (SN) and powerful non-terminal outbursts (SN impostors). Dedicated spectroscopic facilities can follow up these events shortly after detection. Here we investigate the properties of these explosions at early times. We use the radiative transfer code CMFGEN to build an extensive library of spectra simulating the interaction of supernovae and their progenitors winds/circumstellar medium (CSM). We consider a range of progenitor mass-loss rates (Mdot = 5e-4 to 1e-2 Msun/yr), abundances (solar, CNO-processed, and He-rich), and SN luminosities (L = 1.9e8 to 2.5e10 Lsun). The models simulate events ~1 day after explosion, and we assume a fixed location of the shock front as Rin=8.6e13 cm. We show that the large range of massive star properties at the pre-SN stage causes a diversity of early-time interacting SN and impostors. We identify three main classes of early-time spectra consisting of relatively high-ionisation (e.g. Ovi), medium-ionisation (e.g. Ciii), and low-ionisation lines (e.g. Feii/iii). They are regulated by L and the CSM density. Given a progenitor wind velocity Vinf, our models also place a lower limit of Mdot > 5e-4 (Vinf/150 km/s) Msun/yr for detection of CSM interaction signatures in observed spectra. Early-time SN spectra should provide clear constraints on progenitors by measuring H, He, and CNO abundances if the progenitors come from single stars. The connections are less clear considering the effects of binary evolution. Yet, our models provide a clear path for linking the final stages of massive stars to their post-explosion spectra at early times, and guiding future observational follow-up of transients with facilities such as the Zwicky Transient Facility.
Much difficulty has so far prevented the emergence of a consistent scenario for the origin of Type Ib and Ic supernovae (SNe). Here, we follow a heuristic approach by examining the fate of helium stars in the mass range 4 to 12Msun, which presumably form in interacting binaries. The helium stars are evolved using stellar wind mass loss rates that agree with observations, and which reproduce the observed luminosity range of galactic WR stars, leading to stellar masses at core collapse in the range 3-5.5Msun. We then explode these models adopting an explosion energy proportional to the ejecta mass, roughly consistent with theoretical predictions. We impose a fixed 56Ni mass and strong mixing. The SN radiation from 3 to 100d is computed self-consistently starting from the input stellar models using the time-dependent non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative-transfer code CMFGEN. By design, our fiducial models yield similar light curves, with a rise time of ~20d and a peak luminosity of ~10^42.2erg/s, in line with representative SNe Ibc. The less massive progenitors retain a He-rich envelope and reproduce the color, line widths, and line strengths of a representative sample of SNe Ib, while stellar winds remove most of the helium in more massive progenitors, whose spectra match typical SNe Ic in detail. The transition between the predicted Ib-like and Ic-like spectra is continuous, but it is sharp, such that the resulting models essentially form a dichotomy. Further models computed with varying explosion energy, 56Ni mass, and long-term power injection from the remnant show that a moderate variation of these parameters can reproduce much of the diversity of SNe Ibc. We conclude that stars stripped by a binary companion can account for the vast majority of ordinary SNe Ib and Ic, and that stellar wind mass loss is the key to remove the helium envelope in SN Ic progenitors. [abridged]
Supernovae explosions of massive stars are nowadays believed to result from a two-step process, with an initial gravitational core collapse followed by an expansion of matter after a bouncing on the core. This scenario meets several difficulties. We show that it is not the only possible one: a simple model based on fluid mechanics and stability properties of the equilibrium state shows that one can have also a simultaneous inward/outward motion in the early stage of the instability of the supernova. This shows up in the slow sweeping across a saddle-center bifurcation found when considering equilibrium states associated to the constraint of energy conservation. We first discuss the weakly nonlinear regime in terms of a Painleve I equation. We then show that the strongly nonlinear regime displays a self-similar behavior of the core collapse. Finally, the expansion of the remnants is revisited as an isentropic process leading to shocks formation.