arXiv subjects

B. Leibundgut

Publications and source records attributed to B. Leibundgut.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Carbon Monoxide in type II supernovae

Infrared spectra of two type II supernovae 6 months after explosion are presented. The spectra exhibit a strong similarity to the observations of SN 1987A and other type II SNe at comparable epochs. The continuum can be fitted with a cool black body and the hydrogen lines have emissivities that are approximately those of a Case B recombination spectrum. The data extend far enough into the thermal region to detect emission by the first overtone of carbon monoxide. The molecular emission is modeled and compared with that in the spectra of SN 1987A. It is found that the flux in the CO first overtone is comparable to that found in SN 1987A. We argue that Carbon Monoxide forms in the ejecta of all type II SNe during the first year after explosion.

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arXiv2000

Optical Spectra of Type Ia Supernovae at z=0.46 and z=1.2

We present optical spectra, obtained with the Keck 10-m telescope, of two high-redshift type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the High-z Supernova Search Team: SN 1999ff at z=0.455 and SN 1999fv at z~1.2, the highest-redshift published SN Ia spectrum. Both SNe were at maximum light when the spectra were taken. We compare our high-z spectra with low-z normal and peculiar SNe Ia as well as with SNe Ic, Ib, and II. There are no significant differences between SN 1999ff and normal SNe Ia at low redshift. SN 1999fv appears to be a SN Ia and does not resemble the most peculiar nearby SNe Ia.

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arXiv2000

Epochs of Maximum Light and Bolometric Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae

We present empirical fits to the UBVRI light curves of type Ia supernovae. These fits are used to objectively evaluate light curve parameters. We find that the relative times of maximum light in the filter passbands are very similar for most objects. Surprisingly the maximum at longer wavelengths is reached earlier than in the B and V light curves. This clearly demonstrates the complicated nature of the supernova emission. Bolometric light curves for a small sample of well-observed SNe Ia are constructed by integration over the optical filters. In most objects a plateau or inflection is observed in the light curve about 20-40 days after bolometric maximum. The strength of this plateau varies considerably among the individual objects in the sample. Furthermore the rise times show a range of several days for the few objects which have observations early enough for such an analysis. On the other hand, the decline rate between 50 and 80 days past maximum is remarkably similar for all objects, with the notable exception of SN 1991bg. The similar late decline rates for the supernovae indicate that the energy release at late times is very uniform; the differences at early times is likely due to the radiation diffusing out of the ejecta. With the exception of SN 1991bg, the range of absolute bolometric luminosities of SNe Ia is found to be at least a factor of 2.5. The nickel masses derived from this estimate range from 0.4 to 1.1 Msun. It seems impossible to explain such a mass range by a single explosion mechanism, especially since the rate of gamma-ray escape at late phases seems to be very uniform.

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arXiv2000

Pulsar optical observation with the Very Large Telescope

Optical data in the V-band gathered with the 8.2m ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the radio interferometric position of PSR 1706-44 are presented. The pulsar is close to a bright star in projection and was not detected. The pulsar magnitude limit must be fainter than V=24.5 for a distance of $\leq$ 2\farcs0 from the bright star. In the outer gap model for an aligned rotor the optical flux should scale with the gamma-ray flux. For pulsars which emit pulsed gamma-rays but are not detected in the optical bands, the synchrotron cutoff frequency for the tertiary photons must be well below the optical frequencies and the magnetic and spin axes may be misaligned.

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arXiv2000

Tests of the Accelerating Universe with Near-Infrared Observations of a High-Redshift Type Ia Supernova

We have measured the rest-frame B,V, and I-band light curves of a high-redshift type Ia supernova (SN Ia), SN 1999Q (z=0.46), using HST and ground-based near-infrared detectors. A goal of this study is the measurement of the color excess, E_{B-I}, which is a sensitive indicator of interstellar or intergalactic dust which could affect recent cosmological measurements from high-redshift SNe Ia. Our observations disfavor a 30% opacity of SN Ia visual light by dust as an alternative to an accelerating Universe. This statement applies to both Galactic-type dust (rejected at the 3.4 sigma confidence level) and greyer dust (grain size > 0.1 microns; rejected at the 2.3 to 2.6 sigma confidence level) as proposed by Aguirre (1999). The rest-frame $I$-band light cur ve shows the secondary maximum a month after B maximum typical of nearby SNe Ia of normal luminosi ty, providing no indication of evolution as a function of redshift out to z~0.5. A n expanded set of similar observations could improve the constraints on any contribution of extragalactic dust to the dimming of high-redshift SNe Ia.

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arXiv1999

The Type Ia Supernova 1998bu in M96 and the Hubble Constant

We present optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy of the type Ia SN 1998bu in the Leo I Group galaxy M96 (NGC 3368). The data set consists of 356 photometric measurements and 29 spectra of SN 1998bu between UT 1998 May 11 and July 15. The well-sampled light curve indicates the supernova reached maximum light in B on UT 1998 May 19.3 (JD 2450952.8 +/- 0.8) with B = 12.22 +/- 0.03 and V = 11.88 +/- 0.02. Application of a revised version of the Multicolor Light Curve Shape (MLCS) method yields an extinction toward the supernova of A_V = 0.94 +/- 0.15 mag, and indicates the supernova was of average luminosity compared to other normal type Ia supernovae. Using the HST Cepheid distance modulus to M96 (Tanvir et al. 1995) and the MLCS fit parameters for the supernova, we derive an extinction-corrected absolute magnitude for SN 1998bu at maximum, M_V = -19.42 +/- 0.22. Our independent results for this supernova are consistent with those of Suntzeff et al. (1999). Combining SN 1998bu with three other well-observed local calibrators and 42 supernovae in the Hubble flow yields a Hubble constant, H_0 = 64^{+8}_{-6} km/s/Mpc, where the error estimate incorporates possible sources of systematic uncertainty including the calibration of the Cepheid period-luminosity relation, the metallicity dependence of the Cepheid distance scale, and the distance to the LMC.

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arXiv1998

A `Hypernova' model for SN 1998bw associated with gamma-ray burst of 25 April 1998

The discovery of the peculiar supernova (SN) 1998bw and its possible association with the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 980425$^{1,2,3}$ provide new clues to the understanding of the explosion mechanism of very massive stars and to the origin of some classes of gamma-ray bursts. Its spectra indicate that SN~1998bw is a type Ic supernova$^{3,4}$, but its peak luminosity is unusually high compared with typical type Ic supernovae$^3$. Here we report our findings that the optical spectra and the light curve of SN 1998bw can be well reproduced by an extremely energetic explosion of a massive carbon+oxygen (C+O) star. The kinetic energy is as large as $\sim 2-5 \times 10^{52}$ ergs, more than ten times the previously known energy of supernovae. For this reason, the explosion may be called a `hypernova'. Such a C+O star is the stripped core of a very massive star that has lost its H and He envelopes. The extremely large energy, suggesting the existence of a new mechanism of massive star explosion, can cause a relativistic shock that may be linked to the gamma-ray burst.

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arXiv1998

Supernova Limits on the Cosmic Equation of State

We use Type Ia supernovae studied by the High-Z Supernova Search Team to constrain the properties of an energy component which may have contributed to accelerating the cosmic expansion. We find that for a flat geometry the equation of state parameter for the unknown component, alpha_x=P_x/rho_x, must be less than -0.55 (95% confidence) for any value of Omega_m and is further limited to alpha_x<-0.60 (95%) if Omega_m is assumed to be greater than 0.1 . These values are inconsistent with the unknown component being topological defects such as domain walls, strings, or textures. The supernova data are consistent with a cosmological constant (alpha_x=-1) or a scalar field which has had, on average, an equation of state parameter similar to the cosmological constant value of -1 over the redshift range of z=1 to the present. Supernova and cosmic microwave background observations give complementary constraints on the densities of matter and the unknown component. If only matter and vacuum energy are considered, then the current combined data sets provide direct evidence for a spatially flat Universe with Omega_tot=Omega_m+Omega_Lambda = 0.94 +/- 0.26 (1-sigma).

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arXiv1998

Discovery of the peculiar supernova 1998bw in the error box of GRB980425

The discovery of X-ray, optical and radio afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and the measurements of the distances to some of them have established that these events come from Gpc distances and are the most powerful photon emitters known in the Universe, with peak luminosities up to 10^52 erg/s. We here report the discovery of an optical transient, in the BeppoSAX Wide Field Camera error box of GRB980425, which occurred within about a day of the gamma-ray burst. Its optical light curve, spectrum and location in a spiral arm of the galaxy ESO 184-G82, at a redshift z = 0.0085, show that the transient is a very luminous type Ic supernova, SN1998bw. The peculiar nature of SN1998bw is emphasized by its extraordinary radio properties which require that the radio emitter expand at relativistical speed. Since SN1998bw is very different from all previously observed afterglows of GRBs, our discovery raises the possibility that very different mechanisms may give rise to GRBs, which differ little in their gamma-ray properties.

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arXiv1998

Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant

We present observations of 10 type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) between 0.16 < z < 0.62. With previous data from our High-Z Supernova Search Team, this expanded set of 16 high-redshift supernovae and 34 nearby supernovae are used to place constraints on the Hubble constant (H_0), the mass density (Omega_M), the cosmological constant (Omega_Lambda), the deceleration parameter (q_0), and the dynamical age of the Universe (t_0). The distances of the high-redshift SNe Ia are, on average, 10% to 15% farther than expected in a low mass density (Omega_M=0.2) Universe without a cosmological constant. Different light curve fitting methods, SN Ia subsamples, and prior constraints unanimously favor eternally expanding models with positive cosmological constant (i.e., Omega_Lambda > 0) and a current acceleration of the expansion (i.e., q_0 < 0). With no prior constraint on mass density other than Omega_M > 0, the spectroscopically confirmed SNe Ia are consistent with q_0 <0 at the 2.8 sigma and 3.9 sigma confidence levels, and with Omega_Lambda >0 at the 3.0 sigma and 4.0 sigma confidence levels, for two fitting methods respectively. Fixing a ``minimal'' mass density, Omega_M=0.2, results in the weakest detection, Omega_Lambda>0 at the 3.0 sigma confidence level. For a flat-Universe prior (Omega_M+Omega_Lambda=1), the spectroscopically confirmed SNe Ia require Omega_Lambda >0 at 7 sigma and 9 sigma level for the two fitting methods. A Universe closed by ordinary matter (i.e., Omega_M=1) is ruled out at the 7 sigma to 8 sigma level. We estimate the size of systematic errors, including evolution, extinction, sample selection bias, local flows, gravitational lensing, and sample contamination. Presently, none of these effects reconciles the data with Omega_Lambda=0 and q_0 > 0.

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arXiv1998

The High-Z Supernova Search: Measuring Cosmic Deceleration and Global Cur vature of the Universe Using Type Ia Supernovae

The High-Z Supernova Search is an international collaboration to discover and monitor type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) at $z > 0.2$ with the aim of measuring cosmic deceleration and global curvature. Our collaboration has pursued a basic understanding of supernovae in the nearby Universe, discovering and observing a large sample of objects, and developing methods to measure accurate distances with SN Ia. This paper describes the extension of this program to $z \geq 0.2$, outlining our search techniques and follow-up program. We have devised high-throughput filters which provide accurate two-color restframe $B$ and $V$ light curves of SN Ia, enabling us to produce precise, extinction-corrected luminosity distances in the range $0.25 < z < 0.55$. Sources of systematic error from K-corrections, extinction, selection effects, and evolution are investigated, and their effects estimated. We present photometric and spectral observations of SN 1995K, our program's first supernova, and use the data to obtain a precise measurement of the luminosity distance to the $z=0.479$ host galaxy. This object, when combined with a nearby sample of SN, yields an estimate for the matter density of the Universe of $Ω_M = -0.2^{+1.0}_{-0.8}$ if $Ω_Λ= 0$. For a spatially flat universe composed of normal matter and a cosmological constant, we find $Ω_M = 0.4^{+0.5}_{-0.4}$, $Ω_Λ= 0.6^{+0.4}_{-0.5}$. We demonstrate that with a sample of $\sim 30$ objects, we should be able to determine relative luminosity distances over the range $0 < z< 0.5$ with sufficient precision to measure $Ω_M$ with an uncertainty of $\pm 0.2$.

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arXiv1998

The Peculiar Type II Supernova 1997 D: A Case for a Very Low 56Ni Mass

SN 1997D in NGC 1536 is possibly the least luminous and energetic Type II supernova discovered to date. The entire light curve is subluminous, never reaching $M_V = -14.65$. The radioactive tail follows the 56Co decay slope. In the case of nearly complete trapping of the $γ$-rays, the 56Ni mass derived from the tail brightness is extremely small, $\sim 0.002$ \M. At discovery the spectra showed a red continuum and line velocities of the order of 1000 \kms. The luminosity and the photospheric expansion velocity suggest that the explosion occurred about 50 days before discovery, and that a plateau probably followed. Model light curves and spectra of the explosion of a 26 \M\ star successfully fit the observations. Low mass models are inconsistent with the observations. The radius of the progenitor, constrained by the prediscovery upper limits, is \r0 \ltsim 300 \R. A low explosion energy of $\sim 4 \times 10^{50}$ ergs is then required in the modeling. The strong \ion{Ba}{2} lines in the photospheric spectra are reproduced with a solar abundance and low $T_{eff}$. A scenario in which the low 56Ni mass observed in SN 1997D is due to fall--back of material onto the collapsed remnant of the explosion of a 25--40 \M star appears to be favored over the case of the explosion of an 8--10 \M\ star with low 56Ni production.

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arXiv1998

Type Ia Supernovae and q0

Type Ia Supernovae hold great promise to measure the cosmic deceleration. The diversity observed among these explosions, however, complicates their ability to measure cosmological parameters considerably. The comparison of near and distant objects depends critically on the global properties of the samples. Systematic errors are introduced in cases where the samples are not compatible. Our discussion of systematic uncertainties emphasizes the dependence on the zero-point defined by the nearby SNe Ia sample and the influence of the application of light curve corrections to the luminosity. Other error sources are in principle controllable. We illustrate the effects in an analysis of four SNe Ia at $z > 0.4$.

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arXiv1997

Constraints on Cosmological Models from Hubble Space Telescope Observations of High-z Supernovae

We have coordinated Hubble Space Telescope photometry with ground-based discovery for three supernovae: two SN Ia near z~0.5 (SN 1997ce, SN 1997cj) and a third event at z=0.97 (SN 1997ck). The superb spatial resolution of HST separates each supernova from its host galaxy and leads to good precision in the light curves. The HST data combined with ground-based photometry provide good temporal coverage. We use these light curves and relations between luminosity, light curve shape, and color calibrated from low-z samples to derive relative luminosity distances which are accurate to 10% at z~0.5 and 20% at z=1. The redshift-distance relation is used to place constraints on the global mean matter density, Omega_matter, and the normalized cosmological constant, Omega_Lambda. When the HST sample is combined with the distance to SN 1995K (z=0.48), analyzed by the same precepts, it suggests that matter alone is insufficient to produce a flat Universe. Specifically, for Omega_matter+Omega_Lambda=1, Omega_matter is less than 1 with >95% confidence, and our best estimate of Omega_matter is -0.1 +/- 0.5 if Omega_Lambda=0. Although the present result is based on a very small sample whose systematics remain to be explored, it demonstrates the power of HST measurements for high redshift supernovae.

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arXiv1997

Time Dilation from Spectral Feature Age Measurements of Type Ia Supernovae

We have developed a quantitative, empirical method for estimating the age of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from a single spectral epoch. The technique examines the goodness of fit of spectral features as a function of the temporal evolution of a large database of SNe Ia spectral features. When a SN Ia spectrum with good signal-to-noise ratio over the rest frame range 3800 to 6800 A is available, the precision of a spectral feature age (SFA) is (1-sigma) ~ 1.4 days. SFA estimates are made for two spectral epochs of SN 1996bj (z=0.574) to measure the rate of aging at high redshift. In the 10.05 days which elapsed between spectral observations, SN 1996bj aged 3.35 $\pm$ 3.2 days, consistent with the 6.38 days of aging expected in an expanding Universe and inconsistent with no time dilation at the 96.4 % confidence level. The precision to which individual features constrain the supernova age has implications for the source of inhomogeneities among SNe Ia.

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arXiv1996

Distant Supernovae and Cosmic Deceleration

Distant supernovae can now be detected routinely. To date 34 supernovae at $z > 0.1$ have been discovered. Among them are 12 Type~Ia supernovae confirmed spectroscopically and suited to measure the cosmic deceleration when appropriately employed as standard candles. However, peak magnitudes have been determined for only two objects so far and a determination of $q_0$ is not yet possible. We describe the current status of the searches and possible pitfalls of the method which rests on few basic assumptions. The importance of sufficient information on the distant events is stressed and the observations of SN~1995K are used as an example of the detailed procedures employed in the analysis. Only spectroscopic classification and light curves in at least two filter bands provide the basis to use correction schemes for the luminosity which have successfully been established in nearby samples. Time dilation has been detected acting on the light curve of SN~1995K at a redshift of 0.478, providing clear evidence of universal expansion. The observations are fully consistent with local Type Ia supernovae in an expanding universe but incompatible with the expectations from a static universe. The contributions of the new, large telescopes to this research area are described. The extension of the observations to even more distant objects will provide a better leverage to distinguish between the possible decelerations and the inclusion of Type II supernovae into the sample add an independent check on the cosmological distances.

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arXiv1996

Operational Concepts of Large Telescopes

The singular way of scheduling at major observatories has favored certain types of astronomy. This has led to the discrimination of certain types of observations which could not be accommodated. It is the goal of future operations to open possibilities for some additional types of observational astronomy. Together with improved observatory operations the new observing modes can provide significant progress in the acquisition of astronomical data. Specifically, the capability to optimally match the schedule to observations should prove a major advantage of service observing. The VLT data flow project is designed to accommodate these new observing modes together with conventional observing. Simulations and first experience with the ESO NTT will prepare and refine the concepts and procedures foreseen for the VLT. The acceptance of service observing by the astronomical community is of critical importance for this new operational mode to succeed.

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arXiv1996

Time Dilation in the Light Curve of the Distant Type Ia Supernovae SN 1995K

The light curve of a distant Type Ia supernova acts like a clock that can be used to test the expansion of the Universe. SN~1995K, at a spectroscopic redshift of $z = 0.479$, provides one of the first meaningful data sets for this test. We find that all aspects of SN~1995K resemble local supernova Ia events when the light curve is dilated by $(1+z)$, as prescribed by cosmological expansion. In a static, non-expanding universe SN~1995K would represent a unique object with a spectrum identifying it as a regular Type Ia supernova but a light curve shape and luminosity which do not follow the well-established relations for local events. We conclude that SN~1995K provides strong evidence for an interpretation of cosmological redshifts as due to universal expansion. Theories in which photons dissipate their energy during travel are excluded as are age-redshift dependencies.

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