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LSQ13fn: A type II-Plateau supernova with a possibly low metallicity progenitor that breaks the standardised candle relation∗

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Polshaw, J 
Kotak, R 
Dessart, L 
Gal-Yam, A 

Abstract

We present optical imaging and spectroscopy of supernova (SN) LSQ13fn, a type II supernova with several hitherto-unseen properties. Although it initially showed strong symmetric spectral emission features attributable to \ion{He}{ii}, \ion{N}{iii}, and \ion{C}{iii}, reminiscent of some interacting SNe, it transitioned into an object that would fall more naturally under a type II-Plateau (IIP) classification. However, its spectral evolution revealed several unusual properties: metal lines appeared later than expected, were weak, and some species were conspicuous by their absence. Furthermore, the line velocities were found to be lower than expected given the plateau brightness, breaking the SNe~IIP standardised candle method for distance estimates. We found that, in combination with a short phase of early-time ejecta-circumstellar material interaction, metal-poor ejecta, and a large progenitor radius could reasonably account for the observed behaviour. Comparisons with synthetic model spectra of SNe~IIP of a given progenitor mass would imply a progenitor star metallicity as low as 0.1,Z. LSQ13fn highlights the diversity of SNe~II and the many competing physical effects that come into play towards the final stages of massive star evolution immediately preceding core-collapse.

Description

Keywords

supernovae: general, supernovae: individual: LSQ13fn

Journal Title

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0004-6361
1432-0746

Volume Title

588

Publisher

EDP Sciences
Sponsorship
European Research Council (320360)
R.K. acknowledges support from STFC via ST/L000709/1. J.P. and R.K. acknowledge comments from J. Anderson and C. Gutiérrez on an earlier version. L.D. acknowledges financial support from “Agence Nationale de la Recherche” grant ANR-2011-Blanc-SIMI-5-6-007-01. This work was partly supported by the EU/FP7 programme via ERC grant number 320360 awarded to G. Gilmore. AG-Y’s team is supported by the EU/FP7 via ERC grant no. 307260, the Quantum Universe I-Core program by the Israeli Committee for planning and budgeting and the ISF; by Minerva and ISF grants; by the Weizmann-UK “making connections” program; and by Kimmel and ARCHES awards. S.J.S. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant agreement no [291222] and STFC grants ST/I001123/1 and ST/L000709/1. S.B. is partially supported by the PRIN-INAF 2014 project Transient Universe: unveiling new types of stellar explosions with PESSTO. Support for L.G. is provided by the Ministry of Economy, Development, and Tourism’s Millennium Science Initiative through grant IC120009, awarded to The Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, MAS. L.G. acknowledges support by CONICYT through FONDECYT grant 3140566. M.S. acknowledges support from the Royal Society and EU/FP7-ERC grant number 615929, and STFC via ST/L000679/1. K.T. was supported by CONICYT through the FONDECYT grant 3150473, and by the Ministry of Economy, Development, and Tourism’s Millennium Science Initiative through grant IC12009, awarded to the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, MAS. This work is based (in part) on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile as part of PESSTO, (the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects) ESO programme 188.D-3003/191.D-0935, and as part of programme 092.D-0586. This work utilises data from the 40-inch ESO Schmidt Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile with the large area QUEST camera built at Yale University and Indiana University. The Liverpool Telescope is operated on the island of La Palma by Liverpool John Moores University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (proposal ID: PL12B05, P.I. R. Kotak). The William Herschel Telescope is operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (programme W/2013A/20). This research has made use of the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.