The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Superluminous supernovae from PESSTO

Superluminous supernovae from PESSTO
Superluminous supernovae from PESSTO
We present optical spectra and light curves for three hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae followed by the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO). Time series spectroscopy from a few days after maximum light to 100 d later shows them to be fairly typical of this class, with spectra dominated by Ca ii, Mg ii, Fe ii, and Si ii, which evolve slowly over most of the post-peak photospheric phase. We determine bolometric light curves and apply simple fitting tools, based on the diffusion of energy input by magnetar spin-down, 56Ni decay, and collision of the ejecta with an opaque circumstellar shell. We investigate how the heterogeneous light curves of our sample (combined with others from the literature) can help to constrain the possible mechanisms behind these events. We have followed these events to beyond 100–200 d after peak, to disentangle host galaxy light from fading supernova flux and to differentiate between the models, which predict diverse behaviour at this phase. Models powered by radioactivity require unrealistic parameters to reproduce the observed light curves, as found by previous studies. Both magnetar heating and circumstellar interaction still appear to be viable candidates. A large diversity is emerging in observed tail-phase luminosities, with magnetar models failing in some cases to predict the rapid drop in flux. This would suggest either that magnetars are not responsible, or that the X-ray flux from the magnetar wind is not fully trapped. The light curve of one object shows a distinct rebrightening at around 100 d after maximum light. We argue that this could result either from multiple shells of circumstellar material, or from a magnetar ionization front breaking out of the ejecta.
1365-2966
2096-2113
Nicholl, M.
25da1b2f-8de5-4c1d-b26a-a221457aff6e
Smartt, S.J.
148257f7-efab-459e-b932-228db4e2b1d0
Jerkstrand, A.
8d69b4b6-5293-4344-be3e-bb0f32e51f27
Inserra, C.
4bb3e0c1-6854-4b60-b6b0-0ce0457dc3ca
Anderson, J.P.
d43a2ee7-5894-406e-b15f-4b53d683575d
Baltay, C.
aff33e27-54b4-4da7-9785-30e2fae20ae7
Benetti, S.
9bcdb230-a1c8-4f53-a7e1-1d8e30589340
Chen, T.- W.
cd4e7352-c7f5-4078-8750-869a6952fd3c
Elias-Rosa, N.
e2b41fee-d211-459d-a991-0234d77296cf
Feindt, U.
bfceacc8-3a6b-479d-ba2e-c5e387882249
Fraser, M.
525afe70-c2ed-49e4-b46d-3fe44dd2de68
Gal-Yam, A.
21353e10-c914-495b-a841-b9b79b9b7954
Hadjiyska, E.
c59aad70-e6b4-404a-a06e-b01a7cd79aa9
Howell, D.A.
a615131e-aa35-4a8a-be8a-5c8257059eef
Kotak, R.
6d19c46a-7f54-44b6-909a-2e7764f83bdb
Lawrence, A.
fdabdf35-2ff9-4003-a60e-ad9c401cec22
Leloudas, G.
918d1465-2267-434e-85c1-c6432aaabce4
Margheim, S.
67bedf62-0399-45fa-9b77-5842bdd97d57
Mattila, S.
9ab22483-49b9-4654-a22e-1989d44a0f05
McCrum, M.
d1d63eda-edb6-4245-9d72-a626b55cb92a
McKinnon, R.
f400b74c-2f9f-4aeb-b081-2358052705b6
Mead, A.
e71e296c-53f9-4a0e-83e7-c2f9bf1e8146
Nugent, P.
0b012273-c3a5-4319-ac63-d0d3e15f8f61
Rabinowitz, D.
962bd985-534b-414f-91f1-df575d59ff13
Rest, A.
46703e55-0c80-41d1-aeff-27269f39ddc3
Smith, K.W.
db3f9e07-007f-45e6-a27c-00b422feedd4
Sollerman, J.
a37ec2c5-4e23-49d1-800f-5a7b830d75f0
Sullivan, M.
2f31f9fa-8e79-4b35-98e2-0cb38f503850
Taddia, F.
7003cdfc-f170-49b7-9776-87f701a17e0b
Valenti, S.
3a324949-946e-4b07-83ea-ba19d11bb91a
Walker, E.S.
c27a0b72-bfff-45ce-902b-08ce8b1f2c00
Young, D.R.
aca2d61d-345c-4e25-93f6-7772b4540aab
Nicholl, M.
25da1b2f-8de5-4c1d-b26a-a221457aff6e
Smartt, S.J.
148257f7-efab-459e-b932-228db4e2b1d0
Jerkstrand, A.
8d69b4b6-5293-4344-be3e-bb0f32e51f27
Inserra, C.
4bb3e0c1-6854-4b60-b6b0-0ce0457dc3ca
Anderson, J.P.
d43a2ee7-5894-406e-b15f-4b53d683575d
Baltay, C.
aff33e27-54b4-4da7-9785-30e2fae20ae7
Benetti, S.
9bcdb230-a1c8-4f53-a7e1-1d8e30589340
Chen, T.- W.
cd4e7352-c7f5-4078-8750-869a6952fd3c
Elias-Rosa, N.
e2b41fee-d211-459d-a991-0234d77296cf
Feindt, U.
bfceacc8-3a6b-479d-ba2e-c5e387882249
Fraser, M.
525afe70-c2ed-49e4-b46d-3fe44dd2de68
Gal-Yam, A.
21353e10-c914-495b-a841-b9b79b9b7954
Hadjiyska, E.
c59aad70-e6b4-404a-a06e-b01a7cd79aa9
Howell, D.A.
a615131e-aa35-4a8a-be8a-5c8257059eef
Kotak, R.
6d19c46a-7f54-44b6-909a-2e7764f83bdb
Lawrence, A.
fdabdf35-2ff9-4003-a60e-ad9c401cec22
Leloudas, G.
918d1465-2267-434e-85c1-c6432aaabce4
Margheim, S.
67bedf62-0399-45fa-9b77-5842bdd97d57
Mattila, S.
9ab22483-49b9-4654-a22e-1989d44a0f05
McCrum, M.
d1d63eda-edb6-4245-9d72-a626b55cb92a
McKinnon, R.
f400b74c-2f9f-4aeb-b081-2358052705b6
Mead, A.
e71e296c-53f9-4a0e-83e7-c2f9bf1e8146
Nugent, P.
0b012273-c3a5-4319-ac63-d0d3e15f8f61
Rabinowitz, D.
962bd985-534b-414f-91f1-df575d59ff13
Rest, A.
46703e55-0c80-41d1-aeff-27269f39ddc3
Smith, K.W.
db3f9e07-007f-45e6-a27c-00b422feedd4
Sollerman, J.
a37ec2c5-4e23-49d1-800f-5a7b830d75f0
Sullivan, M.
2f31f9fa-8e79-4b35-98e2-0cb38f503850
Taddia, F.
7003cdfc-f170-49b7-9776-87f701a17e0b
Valenti, S.
3a324949-946e-4b07-83ea-ba19d11bb91a
Walker, E.S.
c27a0b72-bfff-45ce-902b-08ce8b1f2c00
Young, D.R.
aca2d61d-345c-4e25-93f6-7772b4540aab

Nicholl, M., Smartt, S.J., Jerkstrand, A., Inserra, C., Anderson, J.P., Baltay, C., Benetti, S., Chen, T.- W., Elias-Rosa, N., Feindt, U., Fraser, M., Gal-Yam, A., Hadjiyska, E., Howell, D.A., Kotak, R., Lawrence, A., Leloudas, G., Margheim, S., Mattila, S., McCrum, M., McKinnon, R., Mead, A., Nugent, P., Rabinowitz, D., Rest, A., Smith, K.W., Sollerman, J., Sullivan, M., Taddia, F., Valenti, S., Walker, E.S. and Young, D.R. (2014) Superluminous supernovae from PESSTO. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 444 (3), 2096-2113. (doi:10.1093/mnras/stu1579).

Record type: Article

Abstract

We present optical spectra and light curves for three hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae followed by the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO). Time series spectroscopy from a few days after maximum light to 100 d later shows them to be fairly typical of this class, with spectra dominated by Ca ii, Mg ii, Fe ii, and Si ii, which evolve slowly over most of the post-peak photospheric phase. We determine bolometric light curves and apply simple fitting tools, based on the diffusion of energy input by magnetar spin-down, 56Ni decay, and collision of the ejecta with an opaque circumstellar shell. We investigate how the heterogeneous light curves of our sample (combined with others from the literature) can help to constrain the possible mechanisms behind these events. We have followed these events to beyond 100–200 d after peak, to disentangle host galaxy light from fading supernova flux and to differentiate between the models, which predict diverse behaviour at this phase. Models powered by radioactivity require unrealistic parameters to reproduce the observed light curves, as found by previous studies. Both magnetar heating and circumstellar interaction still appear to be viable candidates. A large diversity is emerging in observed tail-phase luminosities, with magnetar models failing in some cases to predict the rapid drop in flux. This would suggest either that magnetars are not responsible, or that the X-ray flux from the magnetar wind is not fully trapped. The light curve of one object shows a distinct rebrightening at around 100 d after maximum light. We argue that this could result either from multiple shells of circumstellar material, or from a magnetar ionization front breaking out of the ejecta.

Text
1405.1325v2.pdf - Author's Original
Download (11MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 4 August 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 September 2014
Published date: 1 November 2014
Organisations: Astronomy Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 394580
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/394580
ISSN: 1365-2966
PURE UUID: 61760798-1137-4679-854e-2dc8e3f31ff8
ORCID for M. Sullivan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9053-4820

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 20 May 2016 13:49
Last modified: 18 May 2024 01:46

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: M. Nicholl
Author: S.J. Smartt
Author: A. Jerkstrand
Author: C. Inserra
Author: J.P. Anderson
Author: C. Baltay
Author: S. Benetti
Author: T.- W. Chen
Author: N. Elias-Rosa
Author: U. Feindt
Author: M. Fraser
Author: A. Gal-Yam
Author: E. Hadjiyska
Author: D.A. Howell
Author: R. Kotak
Author: A. Lawrence
Author: G. Leloudas
Author: S. Margheim
Author: S. Mattila
Author: M. McCrum
Author: R. McKinnon
Author: A. Mead
Author: P. Nugent
Author: D. Rabinowitz
Author: A. Rest
Author: K.W. Smith
Author: J. Sollerman
Author: M. Sullivan ORCID iD
Author: F. Taddia
Author: S. Valenti
Author: E.S. Walker
Author: D.R. Young

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×