EARLY- AND LATE-TIME OBSERVATIONS OF SN 2008ha: ADDITIONAL CONSTRAINTS FOR THE PROGENITOR AND EXPLOSION

We present a new maximum-light optical spectrum of the extremely low luminosity and exceptionally low-energy Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2008ha, obtained one week before the earliest published spectrum. Previous observations of SN 2008ha were unable to distinguish between a massive star and white dwar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysical journal. Letters 2010-01, Vol.708 (1)
Main Authors: Foley, Ryan J., Challis, Peter J., Kirshner, Robert P., Brown, Peter J., Rest, Armin, Wood-Vasey, W. Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
CARBON
GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
LUMINOSITY
MASS
OXYGEN
SILICON
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
SULFUR
SUPERNOVAE
THERMONUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
WHITE DWARF STARS
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Summary:We present a new maximum-light optical spectrum of the extremely low luminosity and exceptionally low-energy Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2008ha, obtained one week before the earliest published spectrum. Previous observations of SN 2008ha were unable to distinguish between a massive star and white dwarf (WD) origin for the SN. The new maximum-light spectrum, obtained one week before the earliest previously published spectrum, unambiguously shows features corresponding to intermediate mass elements, including silicon, sulfur, and carbon. Although strong silicon features are seen in some core-collapse SNe, sulfur features, which are a signature of carbon/oxygen burning, have always been observed to be weak in such events. It is therefore likely that SN 2008ha was the result of a thermonuclear explosion of a carbon-oxygen WD. Carbon features at maximum light show that unburned material is present to significant depths in the SN ejecta, strengthening the case that SN 2008ha was a failed deflagration. We also present late-time imaging and spectroscopy that are consistent with this scenario.
ISSN:2041-8205
2041-8213
DOI:10.1088/2041-8205/708/1/L61;COUNTRYOFINPUT:INTERNATIONALATOMICENERGYAGENCY(IAEA)