2018ApJ...862..107B -
Astrophys. J., 862, 107-107 (2018/August-1)
ASASSN-15nx: a luminous Type II supernova with a "perfect" linear decline.
BOSE S., DONG S., KOCHANEK C.S., PASTORELLO A., KATZ B., BERSIER D., ANDREWS J.E., PRIETO J.L., STANEK K.Z., SHAPPEE B.J., SMITH N., KOLLMEIER J., BENETTI S., CAPPELLARO E., CHEN P., ELIAS-ROSA N., MILNE P., MORALES-GAROFFOLO A., TARTAGLIA L., TOMASELLA L., BILINSKI C., BRIMACOMBE J., FRANK S., HOLOIEN T.W.-S., KILPATRICK C.D., KIYOTA S., MADORE B.F. and RICH J.A.
Abstract (from CDS):
We report a luminous Type II supernova, ASASSN-15nx, with a peak luminosity of MV=-20 mag that is between those of typical core-collapse supernovae and super-luminous supernovae. The post-peak optical light curves show a long, linear decline with a steep slope of 2.5 mag (100 day)–1 (i.e., an exponential decline in flux) through the end of observations at phase ~260day. In contrast, the light curves of hydrogen-rich supernovae (SNe II-P/L) always show breaks in their light curves at phase ∼100 day, before settling onto 56Co radioactive decay tails with a decline rate of about 1 mag (100 day)–1. The spectra of ASASSN-15nx do not exhibit the narrow emission-line features characteristic of Type IIn SNe, which can have a wide variety of light-curve shapes usually attributed to strong interactions with a dense circumstellar medium (CSM). ASASSN-15nx has a number of spectroscopic peculiarities, including a relatively weak and triangular-shaped Hα emission profile with no absorption component. The physical origin of these peculiarities is unclear, but the long and linear post-peak light curve without a break suggests a single dominant powering mechanism. Decay of a large amount of 56Ni (MNi = 1.6 ± 0.2 M☉) can power the light curve of ASASSN-15nx, and the steep light-curve slope requires substantial γ-ray escape from the ejecta, which is possible given a low-mass hydrogen envelope for the progenitor. Another possibility is strong CSM interactions powering the light curve, but the CSM needs to be sculpted to produce the unique light-curve shape and avoid producing SN IIn-like narrow emission lines.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Journal keyword(s):
supernovae: general - supernovae: individual: ASASSN-15nx
Simbad objects:
26
Full paper
View the references in ADS
To bookmark this query, right click on this link: simbad:2018ApJ...862..107B and select 'bookmark this link' or equivalent in the popup menu