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NASA NTRS2004

Chandra Observations and Models of the Mixed Morphology Supernova Remnant W44: Global Trends

We report on the Chandra observations of the archetypical mixed morphology (or thermal composite) supernova remnant, W44. As with other mixed morphology remnants, W44's projected center is bright in thermal X-rays. It has an obvious radio shell, but no discernable X-ray shell. In addition, X-ray bright knots dot W44's image. The spectral analysis of the Chandra data show that the remnant s hot, bright projected center is metal-rich and that the bright knots are regions of comparatively elevated elemental abundances. Neon is among the affected elements, suggesting that ejecta contributes to the abundance trends. Furthermore, some of the emitting iron atoms appear to be underionized with respect to the other ions, providing the first potential X-ray evidence for dust destruction in a supernova remnant. We use the Chandra data to test the following explanations for W44's X-ray bright center: 1.) entropy mixing due to bulk mixing or thermal conduction, 2.) evaporation of swept up clouds, and 3.) a metallicity gradient, possibly due to dust destruction and ejecta enrichment. In these tests, we assume that the remnant has evolved beyond the adiabatic evolutionary stage, which explains the X-ray dimness of the shell. The entropy mixed model spectrum was tested against the Chandra spectrum for the remnant's projected center and found to be a good match. The evaporating clouds model was constrained by the finding that the ionization parameters of the bright knots are similar to those of the surrounding regions. While both the entropy mixed and the evaporating clouds models are known to predict centrally bright X-ray morphologies, their predictions fall short of the observed brightness gradient. The resulting brightness gap can be largely filled in by emission from the extra metals in and near the remnant's projected center. The preponderance of evidence (including that drawn from other studies) suggests that W44's remarkable morphology can be attributed to dust destruction and ejecta enrichment within an entropy mixed, adiabatic phase supernova remnant. The Chandra data prompts a new question - by what astrophysical mechanisms are the metals distributed so inhomogeneously in the supernova remnant.

Shelton, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS2004

G65.2+5.7: A Thermal Composite Supernova Remnant with a Cool Shell

This paper presents archival ROSAT PSPC observations of the G65.2+5.7 supernova remnant (also known as G65.3+5.7). Little material obscures this remnant and so it was well observed, even at the softest end of ROSATs bandpass (approx. 0.11 to 0.28 keV). These soft X-ray images reveal the remnant s centrally-filled morphology which, in combination with existing radio frequency observations, places G65.2+5.7 in the thermal composite (mixed morphology) class of supernova remnants. Not only might G65.2+5.7 be the oldest known thermal composite supernova remnant, but owing to its optically revealed cool, dense shell, this remnant supports the proposal that thermal composite supernova remnants lack X-ray bright shells because they have evolved beyond the adiabatic phase. These observations also reveal a slightly extended point source centered on RA = l9(sup h) 36(sup m) 46(sup s). dec = 30 deg.40 min.07 sec.and extending 6.5 arc min in radius in the band 67 map. The source of this emission has yet to be discovered, as there is no known pulsar at this location.

Shelton, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Supernova olivine from cometary dust

An interplanetary dust particle contains a submicrometer crystalline silicate aggregate of probable supernova origin. The grain has a pronounced enrichment in 18O/16O (13 times the solar value) and depletions in 17O/16O (one-third solar) and 29Si/28Si (<0.8 times solar), indicative of formation from a type II supernova. The aggregate contains olivine (forsterite 83) grains <100 nanometers in size, with microstructures that are consistent with minimal thermal alteration. This unusually iron-rich olivine grain could have formed by equilibrium condensation from cooling supernova ejecta if several different nucleosynthetic zones mixed in the proper proportions. The supernova grain is also partially encased in nitrogen-15-rich organic matter that likely formed in a presolar cold molecular cloud.

Iron Compounds/analysis↗

NASA NTRS2013

On Inferring Extinction Laws in Z -approximately 6 Quasars as Signatures of Supernova Dust

Unusual extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs have been taken as evidence that dust is primarily produced by supernovae at high redshift. In particular, the 3000 ˚A Todini-Ferrara-Maiolino kink in the extinction curve of the z = 6.20 SDSS J1048+4637 has been attributed to supernova dust. Here we discuss the challenges in inferring robust extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs and critically assess previous claims of detection of supernova dust. In particular, we address the sensitivity to the choice of intrinsic QSO spectrum, the need for a long wavelength baseline, and the drawbacks in fitting theoretical extinction curves. In a sample of 21 QSOs at z ∼ 6 we detect significant ultraviolet extinction using existing broad-band optical, near-infrared, and Spitzer photometry. The median extinction curve is consistent with a Small Magellanic Cloud curve with A1450 ∼ 0.7 mag and does not exhibit any conspicuous (restframe) 2175 ˚A or 3000 ˚A features. For two QSOs, SDSS J1044−0125 at z = 5.78 and SDSS J1030+0524 at z = 6.31, we further present X-shooter spectra covering the wavelength range 0.9-2.5 μm. The resulting non-parametric extinction curves do not exhibit the 3000 ˚A kink. Finally, in a re-analysis of literature spectra of SDSS J1048+4637, we do not find evidence for a conspicuous kink. We conclude that the existing evidence for a 3000 ˚A feature is weak and that the overall dust properties at high and low redshift show no significant differences. This, however, does not preclude supernovae from dominating the dust budget at high redshift.

Extinction↗

NASA NTRS2014

Dust Production and Particle Acceleration in Supernova 1987A Revealed with ALMA

Supernova (SN) explosions are crucial engines driving the evolution of galaxies by shock heating gas, increasing the metallicity, creating dust, and accelerating energetic particles. In 2012 we used the Atacama Large Millimeter/ Submillimeter Array to observe SN1987A, one of the best-observed supernovae since the invention of the telescope. We present spatially resolved images at 450 μm, 870 μm, 1.4 mm, and 2.8 mm, an important transition wavelength range. Longer wavelength emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation from shock-accelerated particles, shorter wavelengths by emission from the largest mass of dust measured in a supernova remnant (>0.2 Solar Mass). For the first time we show unambiguously that this dust has formed in the inner ejecta (the cold remnants of the exploded star's core). The dust emission is concentrated at the center of the remnant, so the dust has not yet been affected by the shocks. If a significant fraction survives, and if SN 1987A is typical, supernovae are important cosmological dust producers.

Particle↗

NASA NTRS2014

Slow-Speed Supernovae from the Palomar Transient Factory: Two Channels

Since the discovery of the unusual prototype SN 2002cx, the eponymous class of low-velocity, hydrogen-poor supernovae has grown to include at most another two dozen members identified from several heterogeneous surveys, in some cases ambiguously. Here we present the results of a systematic study of 1077 hydrogen-poor supernovae discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory, leading to nine new members of this peculiar class. Moreover we find there are two distinct subclasses based on their spectroscopic, photometric, and host galaxy properties: The "SN 2002cx-like" supernovae tend to be in later-type or more irregular hosts, have more varied and generally dimmer luminosities, have longer rise times, and lack a Ti II trough when compared to the \SN 2002es-like" supernovae. None of our objects show helium, and we counter a previous claim of two such events. We also find that these transients comprise 5.6+17 -3:7% (90% confidence) of all SNe Ia, lower compared to earlier estimates. Combining our objects with the literature sample, we propose that these subclasses have two distinct physical origins.

palomar↗

NASA NTRS2014

The Broad-Lined Type Ic SN 2012ap and the Nature of Relativistic Supernovae Lacking a Gamma-Ray Burst Detection

We present ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared observations of SN2012ap, a broad-lined Type Ic supernova in the galaxy NGC 1729 that produced a relativistic and rapidly decelerating outflow without a gamma-ray burst signature. Photometry and spectroscopy follow the flux evolution from −13 to +272 days past the B-band maximum of −17.4 +/- 0.5 mag. The spectra are dominated by Fe II, O I, and Ca II absorption lines at ejecta velocities of v approx. 20,000 km s(exp. −1) that change slowly over time. Other spectral absorption lines are consistent with contributions from photospheric He I, and hydrogen may also be present at higher velocities (v approx. greater than 27,000 km s(exp. −1)). We use these observations to estimate explosion properties and derive a total ejecta mass of 2.7 Solar mass, a kinetic energy of 1.0×1052 erg, and a (56)Ni mass of 0.1−0.2 Solar mass. Nebular spectra (t > 200 d) exhibit an asymmetric double-peaked [O I] lambda lambda 6300, 6364 emission profile that we associate with absorption in the supernova interior, although toroidal ejecta geometry is an alternative explanation. SN2012ap joins SN2009bb as another exceptional supernova that shows evidence for a central engine (e.g., black-hole accretion or magnetar) capable of launching a non-negligible portion of ejecta to relativistic velocities without a coincident gamma-ray burst detection. Defining attributes of their progenitor systems may be related to notable properties including above-average environmental metallicities of Z approx. greater than Solar Z, moderate to high levels of host-galaxy extinction (E(B −V ) > 0.4 mag), detection of high-velocity helium at early epochs, and a high relative flux ratio of [Ca II]/[O I] > 1 at nebular epochs. These events support the notion that jet activity at various energy scales may be present in a wide range of supernovae.

nature↗

NASA NTRS2020

The Dynamics, Destruction, and Survival of Supernova-Formed Dust Grains

Observations have demonstrated that supernovae efficiently produce dust. This is consistent with the hypothesis that supernovae and asymptotic giant branch stars are the primary producers of dust in the universe. However, there has been a longstanding question of how much of the dust detected in the interiors of young supernova remnants can escape into the interstellar medium. We present new hydrodynamical calculations of the evolution of dust grains that were formed in dense ejecta clumps within a Cas A–like remnant. We follow the dynamics of the grains as they decouple from the gas after their clump is hit by the reverse shock. They are subsequently subject to destruction by thermal and kinetic sputtering as they traverse the remnant. Grains that are large enough (∼0.25 μm for silicates and ∼0.1 μm for carbonaceous grains) escape into the interstellar medium while smaller grains get trapped and destroyed. However, grains that reach the interstellar medium still have high velocities, and are subject to further destruction as they are slowed down. We find that for initial grain size distributions that include large (∼0.25–0.5 μm) grains, 10%–20% of silicate grains can survive, while 30–50% of carbonaceous grains survive even when the initial size distribution cuts off at smaller (0.25 μm) sizes. For a 19 Mꙩ star similar to the progenitor of Cas A, up to 0.1 Mꙩ of dust can survive if the dust grains formed are large. Thus we show that supernovae under the right conditions can be significant sources of interstellar dust.

Jonathan D. Slavin↗

NASA NTRS2021

A Large Fraction of Hydrogen-rich Supernova Progenitors Experience Elevated Mass Loss Shortly Prior to Explosion

Spectroscopic detection of narrow emission lines traces the presence of circumstellar mass distributions around massive stars exploding as core-collapse supernovae. Transient emission lines disappearing shortly after the supernova explosion suggest that the material spatial extent is compact and implies an increased mass loss shortly prior to explosion. Here, we present a systematic survey for such transient emission lines (Flash Spectroscopy) among Type II supernovae detected in the first year of the Zwicky Transient Facility survey. We find that at least six out of ten events for which a spectrum was obtained within two days of the estimated explosion time show evidence for such transient flash lines. Our measured flash event fraction (>30% at 95% confidence level) indicates that elevated mass loss is a common process occurring in massive stars that are about to explode as supernovae.

Rachel J. Bruch↗

DOE OSTI2025

Candidate strongly lensed type Ia supernovae in the Zwicky Transient Facility archive

Gravitationally lensed type Ia supernovae (glSNe Ia) are unique astronomical tools that can be used to study cosmological parameters, distributions of dark matter, the astrophysics of the supernovae, and the intervening lensing galaxies themselves. A small number of highly magnified glSNe Ia have been discovered by ground-based telescopes such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), but simulations predict that a fainter, undetected population may also exist. We present a systematic search for glSNe Ia in the ZTF archive of alerts distributed from June 1 2019 to September 1 2022. Using the AMPEL platform, we developed a pipeline that distinguishes candidate glSNe Ia from other variable sources. Initial cuts were applied to the ZTF alert photometry (with constraints on the peak absolute magnitude and the distance to a catalogue-matched galaxy, as examples) before forced photometry was obtained for the remaining candidates. Additional cuts were applied to refine the candidates based on their light curve colours, lens galaxy colours, and the resulting parameters from fits to the SALT2 SN Ia template. The candidates were also cross-matched with the DESI spectroscopic catalogue. Seven transients were identified that passed all the cuts and had an associated galaxy DESI redshift, which we present as glSN Ia candidates. Although superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) cannot be fully rejected as contaminants, two events, ZTF19abpjicm and ZTF22aahmovu, are significantly different from typical SLSNe and their light curves can be modelled as two-image glSN Ia systems. From this two-image modelling, we estimate time delays of 22 ± 3 and 34 ± 1 days for the two events, respectively, which suggests that we have uncovered a population of glSNe Ia with longer time delays. The pipeline is efficient and sensitive enough to parse full alert streams. It is currently being applied to the live ZTF alert stream to identify and follow-up future candidates while active. This pipeline could be the foundation for glSNe Ia searches in future surveys, such as the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Constraining Properties of the Next Nearby Core-collapse Supernova with Multimessenger Signals

With the advent of modern neutrino and gravitational wave (GW) detectors, the promise of multimessenger detections of the next galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) has become very real. Such detections will give insight into the CCSN mechanism and the structure of the progenitor star, and may resolve longstanding questions in fundamental physics. In order to properly interpret these detections, a thorough understanding of the landscape of possible CCSN events, and their multimessenger signals, is needed. We present detailed predictions of neutrino and GW signals from 1D simulations of stellar core collapse, spanning the landscape of core-collapse progenitors from 9 to 120 M ⊙ . In order to achieve explosions in 1D, we use the Supernova Turbulence In Reduced-dimensionality model, which includes the effects of turbulence and convection in 1D supernova simulations to mimic the 3D explosion mechanism. We study the GW emission from the 1D simulations using an astroseismology analysis of the protoneutron star. We find that the neutrino and GW signals are strongly correlated with the structure of the progenitor star and remnant compact object. Using these correlations, future detections of the first few seconds of neutrino and GW emission from a galactic CCSN may be able to provide constraints on stellar evolution independent of preexplosion imaging and the mass of the compact object remnant prior to fallback accretion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Probing the consistency of cosmological contours for supernova cosmology

As the scale of cosmological surveys increases, so does the complexity in the analyses. This complexity can often make it difficult to derive the underlying principles, necessitating statistically rigorous testing to ensure the results of an analysis are consistent and reasonable. This is particularly important in multi-probe cosmological analyses like those used in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time, where accurate uncertainties are vital. In this paper, we present a statistically rigorous method to test the consistency of contours produced in these analyses and apply this method to the Pippin cosmological pipeline used for type Ia supernova cosmology with the DES. We make use of the Neyman construction, a frequentist methodology that leverages extensive simulations to calculate confidence intervals, to perform this consistency check. A true Neyman construction is too computationally expensive for supernova cosmology, so we develop a method for approximating a Neyman construction with far fewer simulations. We find that for a simulated dataset, the 68% contour reported by the Pippin pipeline and the 68% confidence region produced by our approximate Neyman construction differ by less than a percent near the input cosmology; however, they show more significant differences far from the input cosmology, with a maximal difference of 0.05 in $Ω$ M and 0.07 in w. In conclusion, this divergence is most impactful for analyses of cosmological tensions, but its impact is mitigated when combining supernovae with other cross-cutting cosmological probes, such as the cosmic microwave background.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

The γ -process nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae

The γ-process nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae is generally accepted as a feasible process for the synthesis of neutron-deficient isotopes beyond iron. However, crucial discrepancies between theory and observations still exist: the average yields of γ-process nucleosynthesis from massive stars are still insufficient to reproduce the solar distribution in galactic chemical evolution calculations, and the yields of the Mo and Ru isotopes are a factor of ten lower than the yields of the other γ-process nuclei. We investigate the γ-process in five sets of core-collapse supernova models published in the literature with initial masses of 15, 20, and 25 M ⊙ at solar metallicity. We compared the γ-process overproduction factors from the different models. To highlight the possible effect of nuclear physics input, we also considered 23 ratios of two isotopes close to each other in mass relative to their solar values. Further, we investigated the contribution of C–O shell mergers in the supernova progenitors as an additional site of the γ-process. Our analysis shows that a large scatter among the different models exists for both the γ-process integrated yields and the isotopic ratios. We find only ten ratios that agree with their solar values, all the others differ by at least a factor of three from the solar values in all the considered sets of models. The γ-process within C–O shell mergers mostly influences the isotopic ratios that involve intermediate and heavy proton-rich isotopes with A > 100. We conclude that there are large discrepancies both among the different data sets and between the model predictions and the solar abundance distribution. More calculations are needed; particularly updating the nuclear network, because the majority of the models considered in this work do not use the latest reaction rates for the γ-process nucleosynthesis. Moreover, the role of C–O shell mergers requires further investigation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Revisiting supernova constraints on a light CP-even scalar

A light CP-even Standard Model (SM) gauge-singlet scalar S can be produced abundantly in the supernova core, via the nucleon bremsstrahlung process NN → NNS, due to its mixing with the SM Higgs boson. Including the effective S coupling to both nucleons and the pion mediators, we evaluate the production amplitude for the S particle and point out a key difference with the well-known light CP-odd scalar (axion) and vector boson (dark photon) cases. Taking the subsequent decay and re-absorption of S into account, we present a complete calculation of the energy loss rate for the S particle. We then use the SN1987A luminosity constraints to derive updated supernova limits on the mixing of the scalar S with the SM Higgs boson. We find that the mixing angle sin θ with the SM Higgs is excluded only in the narrow range of 3.9 × 10 -7 to 7.0 × 10 -6 , depending on the scalar mass up to about 147 MeV, beyond which the supernova limit disappears.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Sensitivity of future liquid argon dark matter search experiments to core-collapse supernova neutrinos

Future liquid-argon DarkSide-20k and Argo detectors, designed for direct dark matter search, will be sensitive also to core-collapse supernova neutrinos, via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. This interaction channel is flavor-insensitive with a high-cross section, enabling for a high-statistics neutrino detection with target masses of ~50 t and ~360 t for DarkSide-20k and Argo respectively. Thanks to the low-energy threshold of ~0.5 keVnr achievable by exploiting the ionization channel, DarkSide-20k and Argo have the potential to discover supernova bursts throughout our galaxy and up to the Small Magellanic Cloud, respectively, assuming a 11-M progenitor star. In this work, we report also on the sensitivity to the neutronization burst, whose electron neutrino flux is suppressed by oscillations when detected via charged current and elastic scattering. Finally, the accuracies in the reconstruction of the average and total neutrino energy in the different phases of the supernova burst, as well as its time profile, are also discussed, taking into account the expected background and the detector response.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Optimizing a magnitude-limited spectroscopic training sample for photometric classification of supernovae

ABSTRACT In preparation for photometric classification of transients from the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) we run tests with different training data sets. Using estimates of the depth to which the 4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) Time Domain Extragalactic Survey (TiDES) can classify transients, we simulate a magnitude-limited sample reaching rAB ≈ 22.5 mag. We run our simulations with the software snmachine, a photometric classification pipeline using machine learning. The machine-learning algorithms struggle to classify supernovae when the training sample is magnitude limited, in contrast to representative training samples. Classification performance noticeably improves when we combine the magnitude-limited training sample with a simulated realistic sample of faint high-redshift supernovae observed from larger spectroscopic facilities; the algorithms’ range of average area under receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) scores over 10 runs increases from 0.547–0.628 to 0.946–0.969 and purity of the classified sample reaches 95 per cent in all runs for two of the four algorithms. By creating new, artificial light curves using the augmentation software avocado, we achieve a purity in our classified sample of 95 per cent in all 10 runs performed for all machine-learning algorithms considered. We also reach a highest average AUC score of 0.986 with the artificial neural network algorithm. Having ‘true’ faint supernovae to complement our magnitude-limited sample is a crucial requirement in optimization of a 4MOST spectroscopic sample. However, our results are a proof of concept that augmentation is also necessary to achieve the best classification results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

The collapse and three-dimensional explosion of three-dimensional massive-star supernova progenitor models

ABSTRACT The explosion outcome and diagnostics of core-collapse supernovae depend sensitively on the nature of the stellar progenitor, but most studies to date have focused exclusively on one-dimensional, spherically symmetric massive star progenitors. We present some of the first core-collapse supernovae simulations of three-dimensional massive star supernovae progenitors, a 12.5- and a 15-M⊙ model, evolved in three dimensions from collapse to bounce through explosion with the radiation-hydrodynamic code fornax. We compare the results using those starting from three-dimensional progenitors to three-dimensional simulations of spherically symmetric, one-dimensional progenitors of the same mass. We find that the models evolved in three dimensions during the final stages of massive star evolution are more prone to explosion. The turbulence arising in these multidimensional initial models serves as seed turbulence that promotes shock revival. Detection of gravitational waves and neutrinos signals could reveal signatures of pre-bounce turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

A revised SALT2 surface for fitting Type Ia supernova light curves

ABSTRACT We present a revised Spectral Adaptive Light Curve Template (SALT2) surface (SALT2-2021) for fitting the light curves of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), which incorporates new measurements of zero-point calibration offsets and Milky Way extinction. The most notable change in the new surface occurs in the UV region. This new surface alters the distance measurements of SNe Ia, which can be used to investigate the nature of dark energy by probing the expansion history of the Universe. Using the revised SALT2 surface on public data from the first 3 yr of the Dark Energy Survey Supernova Program (combined with an external low-z SNe Ia sample) and combining with cosmic microwave background constraints, we find a change in the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, Δw = 0.015 ± 0.004. This result highlights the continued importance of controlling and reducing systematic uncertainties, particularly with the next generation of supernova analyses aiming to improve constraints on dark energy properties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗