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Published January 2018 | Published
Journal Article Open

PTF11mnb: First analog of supernova 2005bf. Long-rising, double-peaked supernova Ic from a massive progenitor

Abstract

Aims. We study PTF11mnb, a He-poor supernova (SN) whose light curves resemble those of SN 2005bf, a peculiar double-peaked stripped-envelope (SE) SN, until the declining phase after the main peak. We investigate the mechanism powering its light curve and the nature of its progenitor star. Methods. Optical photometry and spectroscopy of PTF11mnb are presented. We compared light curves, colors and spectral properties to those of SN 2005bf and normal SE SNe. We built a bolometric light curve and modeled this light curve with the SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC) hydrodynamical code explosion of a MESA progenitor star and semi-analytic models. Results. The light curve of PTF11mnb turns out to be similar to that of SN 2005bf until ~50 d when the main (secondary) peaks occur at −18.5 mag. The early peak occurs at ~20 d and is about 1.0 mag fainter. After the main peak, the decline rate of PTF11mnb is remarkably slower than what was observed in SN 2005bf, and it traces well the ^(56)Co decay rate. The spectra of PTF11mnb reveal a SN Ic and have no traces of He unlike in the case of SN Ib 2005bf, although they have velocities comparable to those of SN 2005bf. The whole evolution of the bolometric light curve is well reproduced by the explosion of a massive (M_(ej) = 7.8 M_⊙), He-poor star characterized by a double-peaked ^(56)Ni distribution, a total ^(56)Ni mass of 0.59 M_⊙, and an explosion energy of 2.2 × 10^(51) erg. Alternatively, a normal SN Ib/c explosion (M(^(56)Ni) = 0.11 M_⊙, EK = 0.2 × 10^(51) erg, M_(ej) = 1 M_⊙) can power the first peak while a magnetar, with a magnetic field characterized by B = 5.0 × 10^(14) G, and a rotation period of P = 18.1 ms, provides energy for the main peak. The early g-band light curve can be fit with a shock-breakout cooling tail or an extended envelope model from which a radius of at least 30 R_⊙ is obtained. Conclusions. We presented a scenario where PTF11mnb was the explosion of a massive, He-poor star, characterized by a double-peaked ^(56)Ni distribution. In this case, the ejecta mass and the absence of He imply a large ZAMS mass (~85 M_⊙) for the progenitor, which most likely was a Wolf-Rayet star, surrounded by an extended envelope formed either by a pre-SN eruption or due to a binary configuration. Alternatively, PTF11mnb could be powered by a SE SN with a less massive progenitor during the first peak and by a magnetar afterward.

Additional Information

© 2018 ESO. Received 10 October 2016. Accepted 12 October 2017. We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Based on observations obtained with the Samuel Oschin 48-inch Telescope and the 60-inch Telescope at the Palomar Observatory as part of the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) project, a scientific collaboration among the California Institute of Technology, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, the Oskar Klein Center, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the TANGO Program of the University System of Taiwan, and the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe. The Oskar Klein Centre is funded by the Swedish Research Council. We thank I. Arcavi, A. Horesh, T. Kupfer, D. Levitan, T. Matheson, G. Smadja, S. Tendulkar, and D. Xu for their help with the spectral observations and their preliminary reductions. We thank Y. Cao, J. Surace, R. Laher, F. Masci, U. Rebbapragada, and P.Wózniak for their contribution to the iPTF project. This work is partly based on observations made with DOLoRes@TNG. A.G.-Y. is supported by the EU/FP7 via ERC grant No. 725161, the Quantum Universe I-Core program by the Israeli Committee for planning and funding, and the ISF, Minerva and ISF grants, WIS-UK "making connections", and Kimmel and YeS awards. G.S. acknowledges support from the Lyon Institute of Origins under grant ANR-10-LABX-66.

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August 19, 2023
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October 18, 2023