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Baltay, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Baltay, C..

At least 37 records · Page 2
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DOE OSTI2018

Understanding type Ia supernovae through their U -band spectra

Observations of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) can be used to derive accurate cosmological distances through empirical standardization techniques. Despite this success neither the progenitors of SNe Ia nor the explosion process are fully understood. The U -band region has been less well observed for nearby SNe, due to technical challenges, but is the most readily accessible band for high-redshift SNe. Using spectrophotometry from the Nearby Supernova Factory, we study the origin and extent of U -band spectroscopic variations in SNe Ia and explore consequences for their standardization and the potential for providing new insights into the explosion process. We divide the U-band spectrum into four wavelength regions λ(uNi), λ(uTi), λ(uSi) and λ(uCa). Two of these span the Ca H&K λλ 3934, 3969 complex. We employ spectral synthesis using SYNAPPS to associate the two bluer regions with Ni/Co and Ti. The flux of the uTi feature is an extremely sensitive temperature/luminosity indicator, standardizing the SN peak luminosity to 0.116 ± 0.011 mag root mean square (RMS). A traditional SALT2.4 fit on the same sample yields a 0.135 mag RMS. Standardization using uTi also reduces the difference in corrected magnitude between SNe originating from different host galaxy environments. Early U -band spectra can be used to probe the Ni+Co distribution in the ejecta, thus offering a rare window into the source of light curve power. The uCa flux further improves standardization, yielding a 0.086 ± 0.010 mag RMS without the need to include an additional intrinsic dispersion to reach χ 2 /dof ~ 1. Here, this reduction in RMS is partially driven by an improved standardization of Shallow Silicon and 91T-like SNe

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

SN 2012fr: Ultraviolet, Optical, and Near-infrared Light Curves of a Type Ia Supernova Observed within a Day of Explosion

We present detailed ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared light curves of the Type Ia supernova (SN) 2012fr, which exploded in the Fornax cluster member NGC 1365. These precise high-cadence light curves provide a dense coverage of the flux evolution from -12 to +140 days with respect to the epoch of B-band maximum (${t}_{{B}_{\max }}$). Supplementary imaging at the earliest epochs reveals an initial slow and nearly linear rise in luminosity with a duration of ~2.5 days, followed by a faster rising phase that is well reproduced by an explosion model with a moderate amount of 56 Ni mixing in the ejecta. From our analysis of the light curves, we conclude that: (i) the explosion occurred < 22 hr before the first detection of the supernova, (ii) the rise time to peak bolometric (λ >1800) luminosity was 16.5 ± 0.6 days, (iii) the supernova suffered little or no host-galaxy dust reddening, (iv) the peak luminosity in both the optical and near-infrared was consistent with the bright end of normal Type Ia diversity, and (v) 0.60 ± 0.15 M ⊙ of 56 Ni was synthesized in the explosion. Despite its normal luminosity, SN 2012fr displayed unusually prevalent high-velocity Ca ii and Si ii absorption features, and a nearly constant photospheric velocity of the Si ii λ6355 line at ~12,000 km s -1 that began ~5 days before ${t}_{{B}_{\max }}$. We also highlight some of the other peculiarities in the early phase photometry and the spectral evolution. SN 2012fr also adds to a growing number of Type Ia supernovae that are hosted by galaxies with direct Cepheid distance measurements.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

SCALA: In situ calibration for integral field spectrographs

The scientific yield of current and future optical surveys is increasingly limited by systematic uncertainties in the flux calibration. This is the case for type Ia supernova (SN Ia) cosmology programs, where an improved calibration directly translates into improved cosmological constraints. Current methodology rests on models of stars. Here we aim to obtain flux calibration that is traceable to state-of-the-art detector-based calibration. Methods. We present the SNIFS Calibration Apparatus (SCALA), a color (relative) flux calibration system developed for the SuperNova integral field spectrograph (SNIFS), operating at the University of Hawaii 2.2 m (UH 88) telescope. Results. By comparing the color trend of the illumination generated by SCALA during two commissioning runs, and to previous laboratory measurements, we show that we can determine the light emitted by SCALA with a long-term repeatability better than 1%. We describe the calibration procedure necessary to control for system aging. We present measurements of the SNIFS throughput as estimated by SCALA observations. Conclusions. The SCALA calibration unit is now fully deployed at the UH 88 telescope, and with it color-calibration between 4000 Å and 9000 Å is stable at the percent level over a one-year baseline.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Initial Hubble Diagram Results from the Nearby Supernova Factory

The use of Type Ia supernovae as distance indicators led to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe a decade ago. Now that large second generation surveys have significantly increased the size and quality of the high-redshift sample, the cosmological constraints are limited by the currently available sample of ~50 cosmologically useful nearby supernovae. The Nearby Supernova Factory addresses this problem by discovering nearby supernovae and observing their spectrophotometric time development. Our data sample includes over 2400 spectra from spectral timeseries of 185 supernovae. This talk presents results from a portion of this sample including a Hubble diagram (relative distance vs. redshift) and a description of some analyses using this rich dataset.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Extinction Properties of and Distance to the Highly Reddened Type IA Supernova 2012cu

Correcting Type Ia Supernova brightnesses for extinction by dust has proven to be a vexing problem. Here we study the dust foreground to the highly reddened SN 2012cu, which is projected onto a dust lane in the galaxy NGC 4772. The analysis is based on multi-epoch, spectrophotometric observations spanning from 3300–9200 Å, obtained by the Nearby Supernova Factory. Phase-matched comparison of the spectroscopically twinned SN 2012cu and SN 2011fe across 10 epochs results in the best-fit color excess of (E(B−V), RMS) = (1.00, 0.03) and total-to-selective extinction ratio of (R {sub V}, RMS) = (2.95, 0.08) toward SN 2012cu within its host galaxy. We further identify several diffuse interstellar bands and compare the 5780 Å band with the dust-to-band ratio for the Milky Way (MW). Overall, we find the foreground dust-extinction properties for SN 2012cu to be consistent with those of the MW. Furthermore, we find no evidence for significant time variation in any of these extinction tracers. We also compare the dust extinction curve models of Cardelli et al., O’Donnell, and Fitzpatrick, and find the predictions of Fitzpatrick fit SN 2012cu the best. Finally, the distance to NGC4772, the host of SN 2012cu, at a redshift of z = 0.0035, often assigned to the Virgo Southern Extension, is determined to be 16.6 ± 1.1 Mpc. We compare this result with distance measurements in the literature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Optical photometry and spectroscopy of the low-luminosity, broad-lined Ic supernova iPTF15dld

Core-collapse stripped-envelope supernova (SN) explosions reflect the diversity of physical parameters and evolutionary paths of their massive star progenitors. We have observed the Type Ic SN iPTF15dld (z = 0.047), reported by the Palomar Transient Factory. Spectra were taken starting 20 rest-frame days after maximum luminosity and are affected by a young stellar population background. Broad spectral absorption lines associated with the SN are detected over the continuum, similar to those measured for broad-lined, highly energetic SNe Ic. The light curve and maximum luminosity are instead more similar to those of low luminosity, narrow-lined Ic SNe. This suggests a behaviour whereby certain highly stripped-envelope SNe do not produce a large amount of 56 Ni, but the explosion is sufficiently energetic that a large fraction of the ejecta is accelerated to higher than usual velocities. Here, we estimate SN iPTF15dld had a main-sequence progenitor of 20–25 M ⊙ , produced a 56 Ni mass of ~0.1–0.2 M ⊙ , had an ejecta mass of [2–10] M⊙, and a kinetic energy of [1–18] × 10 51 erg.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Interacting supernovae and supernova impostors. LSQ13zm: an outburst heralds the death of a massive star

Here we report photometric and spectroscopic observations of the optical transient LSQ13zm. Historical data reveal the presence of an eruptive episode (that we label as ‘2013a’) followed by a much brighter outburst (‘2013b’) three weeks later, that we argue to be the genuine supernova explosion. This sequence of events closely resemble those observed for SN 2010mc and (in 2012) SN 2009ip. Furthermore, the absolute magnitude reached by LSQ13zm during 2013a (MR = -14.87 ± 0.25 mag) is comparable with those of supernova impostors, while that of the 2013b event (M R = -18.46 ± 0.21 mag) is consistent with those of interacting supernovae. Our spectra reveal the presence of a dense and structured circumstellar medium, probably produced through numerous pre-supernova mass-loss events. In addition, we find evidence for high-velocity ejecta, with a fraction of gas expelled at more than 20 000 km s -1 . The spectra of LSQ13zm show remarkable similarity with those of well-studied core-collapse supernovae. From the analysis of the available photometric and spectroscopic data, we conclude that we first observed the last event of an eruptive sequence from a massive star, likely a Luminous Blue Variable, which a short time later exploded as a core-collapse supernova. Our detailed analysis of archival images suggests that the host galaxy is a star-forming Blue Dwarf Compact Galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

IMPROVING COSMOLOGICAL DISTANCE MEASUREMENTS USING TWIN TYPE IA SUPERNOVAE

We introduce a method for identifying “twin” Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and using them to improve distance measurements. This novel approach to SN Ia standardization is made possible by spectrophotometric time series observations from the Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory). We begin with a well-measured set of SNe, find pairs whose spectra match well across the entire optical window, and then test whether this leads to a smaller dispersion in their absolute brightnesses. This analysis is completed in a blinded fashion, ensuring that decisions made in implementing the method do not inadvertently bias the result. We find that pairs of SNe with more closely matched spectra indeed have reduced brightness dispersion. We are able to standardize this initial set of SNfactory SNe to 0.083 ± 0.012 mag, implying a dispersion of 0.072 ± 0.010 mag in the absence of peculiar velocities. We estimate that with larger numbers of comparison SNe, e.g., using the final SNfactory spectrophotometric data set as a reference, this method will be capable of standardizing high-redshift SNe to within 0.06–0.07 mag. These results imply that at least 3/4 of the variance in Hubble residuals in current SN cosmology analyses is due to previously unaccounted-for astrophysical differences among the SNe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

First Results from the La Silla-Quest Supernova Survey and the Carnegie Supernova Project

The La Silla/QUEST Variability Survey (LSQ) and the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP II) are collaborating to discover and obtain photometric light curves for a large sample of low-redshift (z < 0.1) Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The supernovae are discovered in the LSQ survey using the 1 m ESO Schmidt telescope at the La Silla Observatory with the 10 square degree QUEST camera. The follow-up photometric observations are carried out using the 1 m Swope telescope and the 2.5 m du Pont telescopes at the Las Campanas Observatory. This paper describes the survey, discusses the methods of analyzing the data, and presents the light curves for the first 31 SNe Ia obtained in the survey. The SALT 2.4 supernova light-curve fitter was used to analyze the photometric data, and the Hubble diagram for this first sample is presented. Furthermore, the measurement errors for these supernovae averaged 4%, and their intrinsic spread was 14%.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

PESSTO: survey description and products from the first data release by the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects

Context. The Public European Southern Observatory Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO) began as a public spectroscopic survey in April 2012. PESSTO classifies transients from publicly available sources and wide-field surveys, and selects science targets for detailed spectroscopic and photometric follow-up. PESSTO runs for nine months of the year, January - April and August - December inclusive, and typically has allocations of 10 nights per month. Aims. We describe the data reduction strategy and data products that are publicly available through the ESO archive as the Spectroscopic Survey data release 1 (SSDR1). Methods. PESSTO uses the New Technology Telescope with the instruments EFOSC2 and SOFI to provide optical and NIR spectroscopy and imaging. We target supernovae and optical transients brighter than 20.5m for classification. Science targets are selected for follow-up based on the PESSTO science goal of extending knowledge of the extremes of the supernova population. We use standard EFOSC2 set-ups providing spectra with resolutions of 13-18 Å between 3345-9995 Å. A subset of the brighter science targets are selected for SOFI spectroscopy with the blue and red grisms (0.935-2.53 μm and resolutions 23-33 Å) and imaging with broadband JHKs filters. Results. This first data release (SSDR1) contains flux calibrated spectra from the first year (April 2012-2013). A total of 221 confirmed supernovae were classified, and we released calibrated optical spectra and classifications publicly within 24 h of the data being taken (via WISeREP). The data in SSDR1 replace those released spectra. They have more reliable and quantifiable flux calibrations, correction for telluric absorption, and are made available in standard ESO Phase 3 formats. We estimate the absolute accuracy of the flux calibrations for EFOSC2 across the whole survey in SSDR1 to be typically ~15%, although a number of spectra will have less reliable absolute flux calibration because of weather and slit losses. Acquisition images for each spectrum are available which, in principle, can allow the user to refine the absolute flux calibration. The standard NIR reduction process does not produce high accuracy absolute spectrophotometry but synthetic photometry with accompanying JHKs imaging can improve this. Whenever possible, reduced SOFI images are provided to allow this. Conclusions. Future data releases will focus on improving the automated flux calibration of the data products. The rapid turnaround between discovery and classification and access to reliable pipeline processed data products has allowed early science papers in the first few months of the survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Confirmation of a star formation bias in type Ia supernova distances and its effect on the measurement of the Hubble constant

Previously we used the Nearby Supernova Factory sample to show that Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) having locally star-forming environments are dimmer than SNe Ia having locally passive environments. Here we use the Constitution sample together with host galaxy data from GALEX to independently confirm that result. The effect is seen using both the SALT2 and MLCS2k2 lightcurve fitting and standardization methods, with brightness differences of 0.094 ± 0.037 mag for SALT2 and 0.155 ± 0.041 mag for MLCS2k2 with R{sub V} = 2.5. When combined with our previous measurement the effect is 0.094 ± 0.025 mag for SALT2. If the ratio of these local SN Ia environments changes with redshift or sample selection, this can lead to a bias in cosmological measurements. We explore this issue further, using as an example the direct measurement of H {sub 0}. GALEX observations show that the SNe Ia having standardized absolute magnitudes calibrated via the Cepheid period-luminosity relation using the Hubble Space Telescope originate in predominately star-forming environments, whereas only ∼50% of the Hubble-flow comparison sample have locally star-forming environments. As a consequence, the H {sub 0} measurement using SNe Ia is currently overestimated. Correcting for this bias, we find a value of H{sub 0}{sup corr}= 70.6 ± 2.6 km s{sup –1} Mpc{sup –1} when using the LMC distance, Milky Way parallaxes, and the NGC 4258 megamaser as the Cepheid zero point, and 68.8 ± 3.3 km s{sup –1} Mpc{sup –1} when only using NGC 4258. Our correction brings the direct measurement of H {sub 0} within ∼1 σ of recent indirect measurements based on the cosmic microwave background power spectrum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Distance probes of dark energy

This document presents the results from the Distances subgroup of the Cosmic Frontier Community Planning Study (Snowmass 2013). We summarize the current state of the field as well as future prospects and challenges. In addition to the established probes using Type Ia supernovae and baryon acoustic oscillations, we also consider prospective methods based on clusters, active galactic nuclei, gravitational wave sirens and strong lensing time delays.

Cosmology↗
DOE OSTI2015

TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA DISTANCE MODULUS BIAS AND DISPERSION FROM K-CORRECTION ERRORS: A DIRECT MEASUREMENT USING LIGHT CURVE FITS TO OBSERVED SPECTRAL TIME SERIES

We estimate systematic errors due to K-corrections in standard photometric analyses of high-redshift Type Ia supernovae. Errors due to K-correction occur when the spectral template model underlying the light curve fitter poorly represents the actual supernova spectral energy distribution, meaning that the distance modulus cannot be recovered accurately. In order to quantify this effect, synthetic photometry is performed on artificially redshifted spectrophotometric data from 119 low-redshift supernovae from the Nearby Supernova Factory, and the resulting light curves are fit with a conventional light curve fitter. We measure the variation in the standardized magnitude that would be fit for a given supernova if located at a range of redshifts and observed with various filter sets corresponding to current and future supernova surveys. We find significant variation in the measurements of the same supernovae placed at different redshifts regardless of filters used, which causes dispersion greater than ∼0.05 mag for measurements of photometry using the Sloan-like filters and a bias that corresponds to a 0.03 shift in w when applied to an outside data set. To test the result of a shift in supernova population or environment at higher redshifts, we repeat our calculations with the addition of a reweighting of the supernovae as a function of redshift and find that this strongly affects the results and would have repercussions for cosmology. We discuss possible methods to reduce the contribution of the K-correction bias and uncertainty.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Type Ia supernova Hubble residuals and host-galaxy properties

Kim et al. introduced a new methodology for determining peak-brightness absolute magnitudes of type Ia supernovae from multi-band light curves. We examine the relation between their parameterization of light curves and Hubble residuals, based on photometry synthesized from the Nearby Supernova Factory spectrophotometric time series, with global host-galaxy properties. The K13 Hubble residual step with host mass is 0.013 ± 0.031 mag for a supernova subsample with data coverage corresponding to the K13 training; at <<1σ, the step is not significant and lower than previous measurements. Relaxing the data coverage requirement of the Hubble residual step with the host mass is 0.045 ± 0.026 mag for the larger sample; a calculation using the modes of the distributions, less sensitive to outliers, yields a step of 0.019 mag. The analysis of this article uses K13 inferred luminosities, as distinguished from previous works that use magnitude corrections as a function of SALT2 color and stretch parameters: steps at >2σ significance are found in SALT2 Hubble residuals in samples split by the values of their K13 x(1) and x(2) light-curve parameters. x(1) affects the light-curve width and color around peak (similar to the Δm {sub 15} and stretch parameters), and x(2) affects colors, the near-UV light-curve width, and the light-curve decline 20-30 days after peak brightness. The novel light-curve analysis, increased parameter set, and magnitude corrections of K13 may be capturing features of SN Ia diversity arising from progenitor stellar evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

La Silla quest RR Lyrae star survey: Region I

A search for RR Lyrae stars (RRLSs) in ∼840 deg{sup 2} of the sky in right ascension 150°-210° and declination –10° to + 10° yielded 1013 type ab and 359 type c RRLS. This sample is used to study the density profile of the Galactic halo, halo substructures, and the Oosterhoff type of the halo over distances (d {sub ☉}) from ∼5 to ∼80 kpc. The halo is flattened toward the Galactic plane, and its density profile steepens in slope at galactocentric distances greater than ∼25 kpc. The RRLS in the stellar stream from the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy match well the model of Law and Majewski for the stars that were stripped 1.3-3.2 Gyr ago, but not for the ones stripped 3.2-5.0 Gyr ago. Over densities are found at the locations of the Virgo Overdensity and the Virgo Stellar Stream. Within 1° of 1220-1, which Jerjen et al. identify as a halo substructure at d {sub ☉} ∼ 24 kpc, there are four RRLS that are possibly members. Away from substructures, the RRLS are a mixture of Oosterhoff types I and II, but mostly OoI (∼73%). The accretion of galaxies resembling in RRLS content the most massive Milky Way satellites (LMC, SMC, For, Sgr) may explain this preponderance of OoI. Six new RRLS and three new anomalous Cepheids were found in the Sextans dSph galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Type Ia Supernova Hubble Residuals and Host-Galaxy Properties

Kim et al. (2013) [K13] introduced a new methodology for determining peak- brightness absolute magnitudes of type Ia supernovae from multi-band light curves. We examine the relation between their parameterization of light curves and Hubble residuals, based on photometry synthesized from the Nearby Supernova Factory spec- trophotometric time series, with global host-galaxy properties. The K13 Hubble residual step with host mass is 0.013 ? 0.031 mag for a supernova subsample with data coverage corresponding to the K13 training; at ? 1?, the step is not significant and lower than previous measurements. Relaxing the data coverage requirement the Hubble residual step with host mass is 0.045 ? 0.026 mag for the larger sample; a calculation using the modes of the distributions, less sensitive to outliers, yields a step of 0.019 mag. The analysis of this article uses K13 inferred luminosities, as distinguished from previous works that use magnitude corrections as a function of SALT2 color and stretch param- eters: Steps at> 2? significance are found in SALT2 Hubble residuals in samples split by the values of their K13 x(1) and x(2) light-curve parameters. x(1) affects the light- curve width and color around peak (similar to the∆m15 and stretch parameters), and x(2) affects colors, the near-UV light-curve width, and the light-curve decline 20 to 30 days after peak brightness. The novel light-curve analysis, increased parameter set, and magnitude corrections of K13 may be capturing features of SN Ia diversity arising from progenitor stellar evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗