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arXiv · 1605.07245

The Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transient SN 2010da: The Progenitor, Eruption and Aftermath of a Peculiar Supergiant High-mass X-ray Binary

V. Ashley Villar·Edo Berger·Ryan Chornock·Raffaella Margutti·Tanmoy Laskar·Peter J. Brown·Peter K. Blanchard·Ian Czekala·Ragnhild Lunnan·Mark T. Reynolds
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Abstract

We present optical spectroscopy, ultraviolet to infrared imaging and X-ray observations of the intermediate luminosity optical transient (ILOT) SN 2010da in NGC 300 (d=1.86 Mpc) spanning from -6 to +6 years relative to the time of outburst in 2010. Based on the light curve and multi-epoch SEDs of SN 2010da, we conclude that the progenitor of SN 2010da is a ~10-12 Msol yellow supergiant possibly transitioning into a blue loop phase. During outburst, SN 2010da had a peak absolute magnitude of M<-10.4 mag, dimmer than other ILOTs and supernova impostors. We detect multi-component hydrogen Balmer, Paschen, and Ca II emission lines in our high-resolution spectra, which indicate a dusty and complex circumstellar environment. Since the 2010 eruption, the star has brightened by a factor of ~5 and remains highly variable in the optical. Furthermore, we detect SN 2010da in archival Swift and Chandra observations as an ultraluminous X-ray source (L~6x10^{39} erg/s). We additionally attribute He II 4686 Angstrom and coronal Fe emission lines in addition to a steady X-ray luminosity of ~10^{37} erg/s to the presence of a compact companion.

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V. Ashley Villar, Edo Berger, Ryan Chornock, Raffaella Margutti, Tanmoy Laskar, Peter J. Brown, Peter K. Blanchard, Ian Czekala, Ragnhild Lunnan, Mark T. Reynolds. 2016-10-14. The Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transient SN 2010da: The Progenitor, Eruption and Aftermath of a Peculiar Supergiant High-mass X-ray Binary. https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637x%2F830%2F1%2F11

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