Abstract
Stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae can be divided into two broad classes: the common Type Ib/c supernovae (SNe Ib/c), powered by the radioactive decay of 56Ni, and the rare superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), most likely powered by the spin-down of a magnetar central engine. Up to now, the intermediate regime between these two populations has remained mostly unexplored. Here, we present a comprehensive study of 40 luminous supernovae (LSNe), SNe with peak magnitudes of Mr = −19 to −20 mag, bound by SLSNe on the bright end and by SNe Ib/c on the dim end. Spectroscopically, LSNe appear to form a continuum between Type Ic SNe and SLSNe. Given their intermediate nature, we model the light curves of all LSNe using a combined magnetar plus radioactive decay model and find that they are indeed intermediate, not only in terms of their peak luminosity and spectra, but also in their rise times, power sources, and physical parameters. We subclassify LSNe into distinct groups that are either as fast evolving as SNe Ib/c or as slow evolving as SLSNe, and appear to be either radioactively or magnetar powered, respectively. Our findings indicate that LSNe are powered by either an overabundant production of 56Ni or by weak magnetar engines, and may serve as the missing link between the two populations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 107 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 941 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 15 Dec 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Dec 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Y. Beletsky for carrying out some of the Magellan observations. S.G. is partly supported by an STScI Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Berger Time-Domain Group at Harvard is supported by NSF and NASA grants. M.N. is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 948381) and by a Fellowship from the Alan Turing Institute. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. Observations reported here were obtained at the MMT Observatory, a joint facility of the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution. This research has made use of NASA's Astrophysics Data System. This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. IRAF is written and supported by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Operation of the Pan-STARRS1 telescope is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under grant No. NNX12AR65G and grant No. NNX14AM74G issued through the NEO Observation Program. This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. This work makes use of observations from Las Cumbres Observatory global telescope network.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science