An Empirical Fitting Method to Type Ia Supernova Light Curves. III. A Three-parameter Relationship: Peak Magnitude, Rise Time, and Photospheric Velocity

We present an analysis of the B-band and V-band rise-time distributions of nearby Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We use a two-stretch template-fitting method to measure the rise and decline of BV light curves. Our analysis of 61 SNe with high-quality light curves indicates that the longer the time between explosion and maximum light (i.e., the rise time), the slower the decline of the light curve after maximum. However, SNe with slower post-maximum decline rates have a faster rise than would be expected from a single-parameter family of light curves, indicating that SN Ia light curves are not a single-parameter family of varying widths. Comparison of the B-band rise-time distribution for spectroscopically normal SNe Ia to those exhibiting high-velocity spectral features indicates that high-velocity (HV) SNe Ia have shorter B-band rise times compared to their spectroscopically normal counterparts. After normalising the B-band light curves to Dm15(B)= 1.1 mag (i.e., correcting the post-maximum decline to have the same shape as our template), we find that spectroscopically normal SNe Ia have a rise time of 18.03 +/- 0.24 d, while HV SNe have a faster B-band rise time of 16.63 +/- 0.29 d. Despite differences in the B band, we find that HV and normal SNe Ia have similar rise times in the V band. The initial rise of a SN Ia B-band light curve follows a power law with index 2.20 +0.27 -0.19, consistent with a parabolic rise in flux predicted by an expanding fireball toy model. We compare our early-time B-band data to models for the predicted signature of companion interaction arising from the single-degenerate progenitor scenario. There is a substantial degree of degeneracy between the adopted power-law index of the SN light-curve template, the rise time, and the amount of shock emission required to match the data.

Ejecta velocity of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is one powerful tool to differentiate between progenitor scenarios and explosion mechanisms. Here we revisit the relation between photospheric Si ii λ6355 velocities (v Si ii ) and host-galaxy properties with ∼280 SNe Ia. A more stringent criterion on the phase of SN spectra is adopted to classify SNe Ia in terms of their photospheric velocities. We find a significant trend that SNe Ia with faster Si ii λ6355 (high-v Si ii SNe Ia) tend to explode in massive environments, whereas their slower counterparts can be found in both lower-mass and massive environments. This trend is further supported by the direct measurements on host gas-phase metallicities. We suggest this relation is likely caused by at least two populations of SNe Ia. Since stars of higher metallicity (at a given mass) generally form less massive white dwarfs, our results support some theoretical models that high-v Si ii SNe Ia may originate from sub-Chandrasekhar class of explosions. Previous observations also showed some evidence that high-v Si ii SNe Ia could be related to the single degenerate systems. However, we find high-v Si ii SNe Ia do not come from particularly young populations. We conclude metallicity is likely the dominant factor in forming high-v Si ii SNe Ia. This also implies their potential evolution with redshift and impact on the precision of SN Ia cosmology.

High-velocity (HVFs) are spectral features in Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that have minima indicating significantly higher (by greater than about 6000 km/s) velocities than typical photospheric-velocity (PVFs). The PVFs are absorption features with minima indicating typical photospheric (i.e., bulk ejecta) velocities (usually ~9000-15,000 km/s near B-band maximum brightness). In this work we undertake the most in-depth study of HVFs ever performed. The dataset used herein consists of 445 low-resolution optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectra (at epochs up to 5 d past maximum brightness) of 210 low-redshift SNe Ia that follow the Phillips relation. A series of Gaussian functions is fit to the data in order to characterise possible HVFs of Ca II H&K, Si II {\lambda}6355, and the Ca II NIR triplet. The temporal evolution of the velocities and strengths of the PVFs and HVFs of these three spectral features is investigated, as are possible correlations with other SN Ia observables. We find that while HVFs of Ca II are regularly observed (except in underluminous SNe Ia, where they are never found), HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 are significantly rarer, and they tend to exist at the earliest epochs and mostly in objects with large photospheric velocities. It is also shown that stronger HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 are found in objects that lack C II absorption at early times and that have red ultraviolet/optical colours near maximum brightness. These results lead to a self-consistent connection between the presence and strength of HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 and many other mutually correlated SN~Ia observables, including photospheric velocity.

view Abstract Citations (64) References (139) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Peak Brightnesses of Historical Supernovae and the Hubble Constant Schaefer, Bradley E. Abstract This paper reports on the peak magnitudes (mmax) and peak absolute magnitudes (Mmax) of SN 1604, SN 1572, SN 1006, and SN 185 utilizing three techniques that have not been previously applied to the historical supernovae. SN 1604 is at a distance (D) of 3.4 + 0.3 kpc, with a visual extinction (A) of 3.27 + 0.14 and is unlikely to be a Type Ia supernova. Its light curve shape is like that of a fast Type Ia event with mmax = -3.02+0.10 and Mmax = -18.95+0.26. SN 1572 is at D=2.35+0.20 kpc, with A = 225 + 0 16 and is likely to be a Type Ia or Ib supernova. Its light curve shape is like that of a very fast Type Ia event with mmax = -4.53 + 0.18 and Mmax = -18.64 + 0.31. SN 1006 is most likely a Type Ia event at 1.59 + 0.13 kpc with an extinction of 0.32 + 0.03 and a peak near - 5 mag. Even though the available light curve is sparse and crude, the supernova is certainly subluminous with a peak absolute magnitude of approximately -17. SN 185 has a peak magnitude that can only be constrained to be brighter than roughly -7.5, has an uncertain remnant, and is unlikely to even be a supernova. These four historical supernovae are useless for solving the Hubble constant question for three reasons: First, none of them is guaranteed to be a Type Ia event and SN 185 is unlikely to even be a supernova. Second, the various calibration, template, and procedural problems combine to make the uncertainties large. Third, the measurement errors alone yield uncertainties that are sufficiently large to preclude a solution of the Hubble constant problem. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: March 1996 DOI: 10.1086/176906 Bibcode: 1996ApJ...459..438S Keywords: COSMOLOGY: OBSERVATIONS; COSMOLOGY: DISTANCE SCALE; STARS: SUPERNOVAE: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: SN 185; STARS: SUPERNOVAE: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: SN 1006; STARS: SUPERNOVAE: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: SN 1572A; STARS: SUPERNOVAE: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: SN 1604 full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (18)

We use a sample of 58 low-redshift (z <= 0.03) Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) having well-sampled light curves and spectra near maximum light to examine the behaviour of high-velocity features (HVFs) in SN Ia spectra. We take advantage of the fact that Si II 6355 is free of HVFs at maximum light in all SNe Ia, allowing us to quantify the strength of HVFs by comparing the structure of these two lines. We find that the average HVF strength increases with decreasing light-curve decline rate, and rapidly declining SNe Ia (dm_15(B) >= 1.4 mag) show no HVFs in their maximum-light spectra. Comparison of HVF strength to the light-curve colour of the SNe Ia in our sample shows no evidence of correlation. We find a correlation of HVF strength with the velocity of Si II 6355 at maximum light (v_Si), such that SNe Ia with lower v_Si have stronger HVFs, while those SNe Ia firmly in the "high-velocity" (i.e., v_Si >= 12,000 km/s) subclass exhibit no HVFs in their maximum-light spectra. While v_Si and dm_15(B) show no correlation in the full sample of SNe Ia, we find a significant correlation between these quantities in the subset of SNe Ia having weak HVFs. In general, we find that slowly declining (low dm_15(B)) SNe Ia, which are more luminous and more energetic than average SNe Ia, tend to produce either high photospheric ejecta velocities (i.e., high v_Si) or strong HVFs at maximum light, but not both. Finally, we examine the evolution of HVF strength for a sample of SNe Ia having extensive pre-maximum spectroscopic coverage and find significant diversity of the pre-maximum HVF behaviour.

ABSTRACTWe place statistical constraints on Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) progenitors using 227 nebular-phase spectra of 111 SNe Ia. We find no evidence of stripped companion emission in any of the nebular-phase spectra. Upper limits are placed on the amount of mass that could go undetected in each spectrum using recent hydrodynamic simulations. With these null detections, we place an observational 3σ upper limit on the fraction of SNe Ia that are produced through the classical H-rich non-degenerate companion scenario of $\lt 5.5 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$. Additionally, we set a tentative 3σ upper limit otan He star progenitor scenarios of $\lt 6.4 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, although further theoretical modelling is required. These limits refer to our most representative sample including normal, 91bg-like, 91T-like, and ‘super-Chandrasekhar’ SNe Ia but excluding SNe Iax and SNe Ia-CSM. As part of our analysis, we also derive a Nebular Phase Phillips Relation, which approximates the brightness of an SN Ia from 150 to 500 d after maximum using the peak magnitude and decline rate parameter Δm15(B).

A sample of 35 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with good to excellent photometry in B and V, minimum internal absorption, and 1200 < v 30,000 km s-1 is compiled from the literature. As far as their spectra are known, they are all Branch-normal. For 29 of the SNe Ia, peak magnitudes in I are also known. The SNe Ia have uniform colors at maximum, i.e., = -0.012 mag (σ = 0.051) and = -0.276 mag (σ = 0.078). In the Hubble diagram, they define a Hubble line with a scatter of σM = 0.21-0.16 mag, decreasing with wavelength. The scatter is further reduced if the SNe Ia are corrected for differences in decline rate, Δm15, or color (B-V). A combined correction reduces the scatter to σ 0.13 mag. After the correction, no significant dependence remains on Hubble type or Galactocentric distance. The Hubble line suggests some curvature that can be differently interpreted. A consistent solution is obtained for a cosmological model with ΩM = 0.3, ΩΛ = 0.7, which is also indicated by much more distant SNe Ia. Absolute magnitudes are available for eight equally blue (Branch-normal) SNe Ia in spirals whose Cepheid distances are known. If their well-defined mean values of MB, MV, and MI are used to fit the Hubble line to the above sample of SNe Ia, one obtains H0 = 58.3 km s-1 Mpc-1, or, after adjusting all SNe Ia to the average values of Δm15 and (B-V), H0 = 60.9 km s-1 Mpc-1. Various systematic errors are discussed whose elimination tends to decrease H0. The value finally adopted at the 90% level, including random and systematic errors, is H0 = 58.5 ± 6.3 km s-1 Mpc-1. Several higher values of H0 from SNe Ia, as suggested in the literature, are found to depend on large corrections for variations of the light-curve parameter and/or on an unwarranted reduction of the Cepheid distances of the calibrating SNe Ia.

SNe Ia play key roles in revealing the accelerating expansion of the universe, but our knowledge of their progenitors is still very limited. Here we report the discovery of a rigid dichotomy in circumstellar (CS) environments around two subclasses of SNe Ia as defined by their distinct photospheric velocities. For the SNe Ia with high photospheric velocities (HVs), we found a significant excess flux in blue light 60–100 days past maximum, while this phenomenon is absent for SNe with normal photospheric velocity. This blue excess can be attributed to light echoes by circumstellar dust located at a distance of about (1–2) × 1017 cm from the HV subclass. Moreover, we also found that the HV SNe Ia show systematically evolving Na i absorption line by performing a systematic search of variable Na i absorption lines in spectra of all SNe Ia, whereas this evolution is rarely seen in normal ones. The evolving Na i absorption can be modeled in terms of photoionization model, with the location of the gas clouds at a distance of about 2 × 1017 cm, in striking agreement with the location of CS dust inferred from B-band light-curve excess. These observations show clearly that the progenitors of HV subclass are likely from single-degenerate progenitor system (i.e., symbiotic binary), while the NV subclass may arise from double-degenerate system.

We present a measurement of the Hubble constant (H0) using type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in the near-infrared (NIR) from the recently updated sample of SNe Ia in nearby galaxies with distances measured via Cepheid period-luminosity relations by the SH0ES project. We collected public near-infrared photometry of up to 19 calibrator SNe Ia and 57 SNe Ia in the Hubble flow (z &gt; 0.01), and directly measured their peak magnitudes in the J- and H-band by Gaussian processes and spline interpolation. Calibrator peak magnitudes together with Cepheid-based distances were used to estimate the average absolute magnitude in each band, while Hubble-flow SNe were used to constrain the zero-point intercept of the magnitude–redshift relation. Our baseline result of H0 is 72.3 ± 1.4 (stat) ±1.4 (syst) km s−1 Mpc−1 in the J-band and 72.3 ± 1.3 (stat) ±1.4 (syst) km s−1 Mpc−1 in the H-band, where the systematic uncertainties include the standard deviation of up to 21 variations of the analysis, the 0.7% distance scale systematic from SH0ES Cepheid anchors, a photometric zero-point systematic, and a cosmic variance systematic. Our final measurement represents a measurement with a precision of 2.8% in both bands. Among all the analysis variants, the largest change in H0 comes from limiting the sample to those SNe from the CSP and CfA programs; they are noteworthy because they are the best calibrated, yielding H0 ∼ 75 km s−1 Mpc−1 in both bands. We explore applying stretch and reddening corrections to standardize SN Ia NIR peak magnitudes, and we demonstrate that they are still useful to reduce the absolute magnitude scatter and, which improves its standardization, at least up to the H-band. Based on our results, in order to improve the precision of the H0 measurement with SNe Ia in the NIR in the future, we would need to increase the number of calibrator SNe Ia, to be able to extend the Hubble–Lemaître diagram to higher redshift, and to include standardization procedures to help reduce the NIR intrinsic scatter.

We present a new empirical fitting method for the optical light curves of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We find that a variant broken-power-law function provides a good fit, with the simple assumption that the optical emission is approximately the blackbody emission of the expanding fireball. This function is mathematically analytic and is derived directly from the photospheric velocity evolution. When deriving the function, we assume that both the blackbody temperature and photospheric velocity are constant, but the final function is able to accommodate these changes during the fitting procedure. Applying it to the case study of SN 2011fe gives a surprisingly good fit that can describe the light curves from the first-light time to a few weeks after peak brightness, as well as over a large range of fluxes (∼5 mag, and even ∼7 mag in the g band). Since SNe Ia share similar light-curve shapes, this fitting method has the potential to fit most other SNe Ia and characterize their properties in large statistical samples such as those already gathered and in the near future as new facilities become available.

An open question in SN Ia research is where the boundary lies between ‘normal’ Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) that are used in cosmological measurements and those that sit off the Phillips relation. We present the spectroscopic modelling of one such ‘86G-like’ transitional SN Ia, SN 2021rhu, that has recently been employed as a local Hubble Constant calibrator using a tip of the red-giant branch measurement. We detail its modelling from −12 d until maximum brightness using the radiative-transfer spectral-synthesis code tardis. Please check and correct this paper accordingly. We base our modelling on literature delayed-detonation and deflagration models of Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, as well as the double-detonation models of sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs. We present a new method for ‘projecting’ abundance profiles to different density profiles for ease of computation. Due to the small velocity extent and low outer densities of the W7 profile, we find it inadequate to reproduce the evolution of SN 2021rhu as it fails to match the high-velocity calcium components. The host extinction of SN 2021rhu is uncertain but we use modelling with and without an extinction correction to set lower and upper limits on the abundances of individual species. Comparing these limits to literature models we conclude that the spectral evolution of SN 2021rhu is also incompatible with double-detonation scenarios, lying more in line with those resulting from the delayed-detonation mechanism (although there are some discrepancies, in particular a larger titanium abundance in SN 2021rhu compared to the literature). This suggests that SN 2021rhu is likely a lower luminosity, and hence lower temperature, version of a normal SN Ia.

The relation between Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and the stellar masses of their host galaxy is well documented. In particular, Hubble residuals display a distinct luminosity shift based on host mass. This is known as the mass step. This effect is widely used as an additional correction factor in the standardisation of SN Ia luminosities. We investigate the Hubble residuals and the mass step of normal SNe Ia in the context of velocities based on 277 normal SNe Ia that are near their peak in the second data release (DR2) of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). We divided the sample into high-velocity (HV) and normal-velocity (NV) SNe Ia, separated at 12,000 ̨ms. This produced a sample of 70 HV and 207 NV objects. We then explored potential environment- and/or progenitor-related effects by investigating the velocities with parameters such as the light-curve stretch x_1, the colour c, and the host galaxy properties. Although we only find a marginal difference between the Hubble residuals of HV and NV SNe Ia, the NV mass step is $0.149 ± 0.024$ mag ($6.3σ$). The HV mass step is smaller, $0.046 ± 0.041$ mag ($1.1σ$), and is consistent with zero. The difference between the NV and HV mass steps is modest, at ∼2.2σ. Moreover, the clearest subtype difference appears for SNe in central regions (d_ DLR &lt;1), where NV SNe Ia show a large mass step, whereas HV SNe Ia are consistent with no step, yielding a difference of $3.1–3.6σ$ between NV and HV SNe Ia. We observe a host-colour step for both subtypes. NV SNe Ia show a step of $0.142 ± 0.024$ mag ($5.9σ$), while HV SNe Ia show a step of $0.158 ± 0.042$ mag ($3.8σ$), where the HV SNe Ia step appears to be larger, but the significance is lower because the sample size is smaller. Overall, the NV and HV colour steps are statistically consistent. HV SNe Ia also show modest (∼2.5–$3σ$) steps in certain subsets, such as those in outer regions (d_ DLR &gt;1), whereas NV SNe display stronger environmental trends. Our results indicate that NV SNe Ia appear to be more environmentally sensitive, particularly in central likely metal-rich and older regions, while HV SNe Ia show weaker and subset-dependent trends. This suggests that applying a universal mass-step correction might introduce biases, and that incorporating refined classifications and/or environment-dependent factors, such as the location within the host, might improve future cosmological analyses beyond the standard x_1 and c cuts.

Since the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe more than two decades ago, Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) have been extensively used as standardisable candles in the optical. However, SNe Ia have shown to be more homogeneous in the near-infrared (NIR), where the effect of dust extinction is also attenuated. In this work, we explore the possibility of using a low number of NIR observations for accurate distance estimations, given the homogeneity at these wavelengths. We found that one epoch in J and/or H band, plus good gr-band coverage, gives an accurate estimation of peak magnitudes in the J (Jmax) and H (Hmax) bands. The use of a single NIR epoch only introduces an additional scatter of ∼0.05 mag for epochs around the time of B-band peak magnitude (Tmax). We also tested the effect of optical cadence and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) in the estimation of Tmax and its uncertainty propagation to the NIR peak magnitudes. Both cadence and S/N have a similar contribution, where we constrained the introduced scatter of each to &lt; 0.02 mag in Jmax and &lt; 0.01 in Hmax. However, these effects are expected to be negligible, provided the data quality is comparable to that obtained for observations of nearby SNe (z ≲ 0.1). The effect of S/N in the NIR was tested as well. For SNe Ia at 0.08 &lt; z ≲ 0.1, NIR observations with better S/N than that found in the CSP sample is necessary to constrain the introduced scatter to a minimum (≲0.05 mag). These results provide confidence for our FLOWS project that is aimed at using SNe Ia with public ZTF optical light curves and few NIR epochs to map out the peculiar velocity field of the local Universe. This will allow us to determine the distribution of dark matter in our own supercluster, Laniakea, and to test the standard cosmological model by measuring the growth rate of structures, parameterised by fD, and the Hubble-Lemaître constant, H0.

Gamma Ray Burst afterglow and prompt-afterglow relations: An overview

We compare ultraviolet (UV) and optical colors of a sample of 29 type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed with the Swift satellite’s UltraViolet Optical Telescope with theoretical models of an asymmetric explosion viewed from different angles from Kasen &amp; Plewa. This includes mid-UV (1600–2700 Å; uvw2 and uvm2) and near-UV (2700–4000 Å; uvw1 and u) filters. We find the observed colors to be redder than the model predictions, and that these offsets are unlikely to be caused by dust reddening. We confirm that high-velocity SNe Ia have red UV-optical observed colors. After correcting the colors for dust reddening by assuming a constant b − v color, we find no correlation between the uvw1 − v or u − v colors and the ejecta velocities for 25 SNe Ia with published velocities and/or spectra. When assuming an optical color–velocity relation, weak correlations of 2 and 3.6σ are found for uvw1 − v and u − v. However, we find that weak correlations can be reproduced with shuffled velocities and colors that are corrected for reddening. The slope and significance of a correlation between the UV colors and the velocity is thus dependent on the slope of the optical color–velocity relation. Even with a correction, a significant scatter still remains in the uvw1 − v colors including a large spread at low velocities, demonstrating that the NUV-blue/red spread is not caused by the photospheric velocity. The uvm2 − uvw1 colors also show a large dispersion uncorrelated with the velocity.