DISCOVERY, PROGENITOR AND EARLY EVOLUTION OF A STRIPPED ENVELOPE SUPERNOVA iPTF13bvn

The intermediate Palomar Transient Factory reports our discovery of a young supernova, iPTF13bvn, in the nearby galaxy, NGC 5806 (22.5 Mpc). Our spectral sequence in the optical and infrared suggests a Type Ib classification. We identify a blue progenitor candidate in deep pre-explosion imaging with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysical journal. Letters 2013-09, Vol.775 (1), p.1-7
Main Authors: Cao, Yi, Kasliwal, Mansi M, ARCAVI, IAIR, Horesh, Assaf, Hancock, Paul, Valenti, Stefano, Cenko, S Bradley, Kulkarni, S R, Gal-Yam, Avishay, GORBIKOV, EVGENY
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COLOR
DETECTION
Envelopes
EXPLOSIONS
Fittings
Imaging
Light curve
LUMINOSITY
Progenitors (astrophysics)
SELF-ABSORPTION
Spectra
STELLAR WINDS
SUPERNOVAE
Supernovas
Wind velocity
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Summary:The intermediate Palomar Transient Factory reports our discovery of a young supernova, iPTF13bvn, in the nearby galaxy, NGC 5806 (22.5 Mpc). Our spectral sequence in the optical and infrared suggests a Type Ib classification. We identify a blue progenitor candidate in deep pre-explosion imaging within a 2[sigma] error circle of 80 mas (8.7 pc). The candidate has an M sub(B) luminosity of -5.52 + or - 0.39 mag and a B - I color of 0.25 + or - 0.25 mag. If confirmed by future observations, this would be the first direct detection for a progenitor of a Type Ib. Fitting a power law to the early light curve, we find an extrapolated explosion date around 0.6 days before our first detection. We see no evidence of shock cooling. The pre-explosion detection limits constrain the radius of the progenitor to be smaller than a few solar radii. iPTF13bvn is also detected in centimeter and millimeter wavelengths. Fitting a synchrotron self-absorption model to our radio data, we find a mass-loading parameter of 1.3 x 10 super(12) g cm super(-1). Assuming a wind velocity of 10 super(3) km s super(-1), we derive a progenitor mass-loss rate of 3 x 10 super(-5) M sub([middot in circle]) yr super(-1). Our observations, taken as a whole, are consistent with a Wolf-Rayet progenitor of the supernova iPTF13bvn.
ISSN:2041-8205
2041-8213
DOI:10.1088/2041-8205/775/1/L7