Common continuum polarization properties: a possible link between proto-planetary nebulae and Type Ia Supernovae progenitors

The lines-of-sight to highly reddened SNe Ia show peculiar continuum polarization curves, growing toward blue wavelengths and peaking at $\lambda_{max} \lesssim 0.4 \mu m$, like no other sight line to any normal Galactic star. We examined continuum polarization measurements of a sample of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and post-AGB stars from the literature, finding that some PPNe have polarization curves similar to those observed along SNe Ia sight lines. Those polarization curves are produced by scattering on circumstellar dust. We discuss the similarity and the possibility that at least some SNe Ia might explode during the post-AGB phase of their binary companion. Furthermore, we speculate that the peculiar SNe Ia polarization curves might provide observational support to the core-degenerate progenitor model.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Discovery of molecular hydrogen in SN 1987A

Both CO and SiO have been observed at early and late phases in SN 1987A. H_2 was predicted to form at roughly the same time as these molecules, but was not detected at early epochs. Here we report the detection of NIR lines from H_2 at 2.12 mu and 2.40 mu in VLT/SINFONI spectra obtained between days 6489 and 10,120. The emission is concentrated to the core of the supernova in contrast to H-alpha and approximately coincides with the [Si I]/[Fe II] emission detected previously in the ejecta. Different excitation mechanisms and power sources of the emission are discussed. From the nearly constant H_2 luminosities we favour excitation resulting from the 44Ti decay.Comment: 5 pages 3 figures, accepted for ApJ Letter

The morphology of the ejecta in Supernova 1987A: a study over time and wavelength

We present a study of the morphology of the ejecta in Supernova 1987A based on images and spectra from the HST as well as integral field spectroscopy from VLT/SINFONI. The HST observations were obtained between 1994 - 2011 and primarily probe the outer hydrogen-rich zones of the ejecta. The SINFONI observations were obtained in 2005 and 2011 and instead probe the [Si I]/[Fe II] emission from the inner regions. We find a strong temporal evolution of the morphology in the HST images, from a roughly elliptical shape before ~5,000 days, to a more irregular, edge-brightened morphology thereafter. This transition is a natural consequence of the change in the dominant energy source powering the ejecta, from radioactive decay before ~5,000 days to X-ray input from the circumstellar interaction thereafter. The [Si I]/[Fe II] images display a more uniform morphology, which may be due to a remaining significant contribution from radioactivity in the inner ejecta and the higher abundance of these elements in the core. Both the H-alpha and the [Si I]/[Fe II] line profiles show that the ejecta are distributed fairly close to the plane of the inner circumstellar ring, which is assumed to define the rotational axis of the progenitor. The H-alpha emission extends to higher velocities than [Si I]/[Fe II] as expected. There is no clear symmetry axis for all the emission and we are unable to model the ejecta distribution with a simple ellipsoid model with a uniform distribution of dust. Instead, we find that the emission is concentrated to clumps and that the emission is distributed somewhat closer to the ring in the north than in the south. This north-south asymmetry may be partially explained by dust absorption. We compare our results with explosion models and find some qualitative agreement, but note that the observations show a higher degree of large-scale asymmetry.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Supersolar Ni/Fe production in the Type IIP SN 2012ec

SN 2012ec is a Type IIP supernova (SN) with a progenitor detection and comprehensive photospheric-phase observational coverage. Here, we present Very Large Telescope and PESSTO observations of this SN in the nebular phase. We model the nebular [O I] 6300, 6364 lines and find their strength to suggest a progenitor main-sequence mass of 13-15 Msun. SN 2012ec is unique among hydrogen-rich SNe in showing a distinct and unblended line of stable nickel [Ni II] 7378. This line is produced by 58Ni, a nuclear burning ash whose abundance is a sensitive tracer of explosive burning conditions. Using spectral synthesis modelling, we use the relative strengths of [Ni II] 7378 and [Fe II] 7155 (the progenitor of which is 56Ni) to derive a Ni/Fe production ratio of 0.20pm0.07 (by mass), which is a factor 3.4pm1.2 times the solar value. High production of stable nickel is confirmed by a strong [Ni II] 1.939 micron line. This is the third reported case of a core-collapse supernova producing a Ni/Fe ratio far above the solar value, which has implications for core-collapse explosion theory and galactic chemical evolution models.Comment: Published versio

Spectral and morphological analysis of the remnant of Supernova 1987A with ALMA & ATCA

We present a comprehensive spectral and morphological analysis of the remnant of Supernova (SN) 1987A with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The non-thermal and thermal components of the radio emission are investigated in images from 94 to 672 GHz ($\lambda$ 3.2 mm to 450 $\mu$m), with the assistance of a high-resolution 44 GHz synchrotron template from the ATCA, and a dust template from ALMA observations at 672 GHz. An analysis of the emission distribution over the equatorial ring in images from 44 to 345 GHz highlights a gradual decrease of the east-to-west asymmetry ratio with frequency. We attribute this to the shorter synchrotron lifetime at high frequencies. Across the transition from radio to far infrared, both the synchrotron/dust-subtracted images and the spectral energy distribution (SED) suggest additional emission beside the main synchrotron component ($S_{\nu}\propto\nu^{-0.73}$) and the thermal component originating from dust grains at $T\sim22$ K. This excess could be due to free-free flux or emission from grains of colder dust. However, a second flat-spectrum synchrotron component appears to better fit the SED, implying that the emission could be attributed to a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The residual emission is mainly localised west of the SN site, as the spectral analysis yields $-0.4\lesssim\alpha\lesssim-0.1$ across the western regions, with $\alpha\sim0$ around the central region. If there is a PWN in the remnant interior, these data suggest that the pulsar may be offset westward from the SN position.Comment: ApJ accepted. 21 pages, emulateapj. References update

Cosmological Results from High-z Supernovae

The High-z Supernova Search Team has discovered and observed 8 new supernovae in the redshift interval z=0.3-1.2. These independent observations, confirm the result of Riess et al. (1998a) and Perlmutter et al. (1999) that supernova luminosity distances imply an accelerating universe. More importantly, they extend the redshift range of consistently observed SN Ia to z~1, where the signature of cosmological effects has the opposite sign of some plausible systematic effects. Consequently, these measurements not only provide another quantitative confirmation of the importance of dark energy, but also constitute a powerful qualitative test for the cosmological origin of cosmic acceleration. We find a rate for SN Ia of 1.4+/-0.5E-04 h^3/Mpc^3/yr at a mean redshift of 0.5. We present distances and host extinctions for 230 SN Ia. These place the following constraints on cosmological quantities: if the equation of state parameter of the dark energy is w=-1, then H0 t0 = 0.96+/-0.04, and O_l - 1.4 O_m = 0.35+/-0.14. Including the constraint of a flat Universe, we find O_m = 0.28+/-0.05, independent of any large-scale structure measurements. Adopting a prior based on the 2dF redshift survey constraint on O_m and assuming a flat universe, we find that the equation of state parameter of the dark energy lies in the range -1.48-1, we obtain w<-0.73 at 95% confidence. These constraints are similar in precision and in value to recent results reported using the WMAP satellite, also in combination with the 2dF redshift survey.Comment: 50 pages, AAS LateX, 15 figures, 15 tables. Accepted for publication by Astrophysical Journa

Hubble Space Telescope and Ground-Based Observations of Type Ia Supernovae at Redshift 0.5: Cosmological Implications

We present observations of the Type Ia supernovae (SNe) 1999M, 1999N, 1999Q, 1999S, and 1999U, at redshift z~0.5. They were discovered in early 1999 with the 4.0~m Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory by the High-z Supernova Search Team (HZT) and subsequently followed with many ground-based telescopes. SNe 1999Q and 1999U were also observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. We computed luminosity distances to the new SNe using two methods, and added them to the high-z Hubble diagram that the HZT has been constructing since 1995. The new distance moduli confirm the results of previous work. At z~0.5, luminosity distances are larger than those expected for an empty universe, implying that a ``Cosmological Constant,'' or another form of ``dark energy,'' has been increasing the expansion rate of the Universe during the last few billion years.Comment: 68 pages, 22 figures. Scheduled for the 01 February 2006 issue of Ap.J. (v637