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Douglas C. Leonard

Publications and source records attributed to Douglas C. Leonard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Spectropolarimetric Evolution Reveals Dual-Axis Ejecta in the Atypical Magnetar-Powered SN 2012au

We present six epochs of optical spectropolarimetric observations of the unique and slow-evolving Type Ib supernova (SN) 2012au, between 0 and 295 days post R-band maximum. The polarization levels seen throughout our observations are on average 0.87% +/- 0.05% higher than those of any Type Ib SN~yet studied, suggesting either that it is the most asymmetric of the sample, or if all SNe Ib have similar asymmetry, that it is viewed at a more optimum angle. Significant continuum polarization indicates that the photosphere exhibited a global departure from spherical symmetry at the level of 10%-40% at the earliest times (days 0--40), which decreased to 0%-20% by days 57--90. During the early photospheric phase, the ejecta maintained a near-constant orientation of 12°-20° on the sky, as shown by the dominant axis in the Stokes q-u plane. Polarization signatures in the Fe II λλλ4924, 5018, 5169 lines shared this axis. Meanwhile, high levels of polarization associated with the He I lines traced distinct q-u loops with a dramatic rotation away from the dominant axis, indicating that the early-time ejecta were also characterized by hot, fast, helium-rich material concentrated near the poles. At day 295, during the transition to the nebular phase, a new, highly elongated structure became prominent in the ejecta, with an axis orthogonal to the dominant axis that defined the photospheric phase. This dual-axis geometry may link SN 2012au's high luminosity and asymmetric structure to a magnetar powering mechanism.

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Spectropolarimetry of SN 2023ixf reveals both circumstellar material and helium core to be aspherical

We present multi-epoch optical spectropolarimetric and imaging polarimetric observations of the nearby Type II supernova (SN) 2023ixf discovered in M101 at a distance of 6.85 Mpc. The first imaging polarimetric observations were taken +2.33 days (60085.08 MJD) after the explosion, while the last imaging polarimetric data points (+73.19 and +76.19 days) were acquired after the fall from the light curve plateau. At +2.33 days there is strong evidence of circumstellar material (CSM) interaction in the spectra and the light curve. A significant level of intrinsic polarization $p_r = 1.02\pm 0.07 \% $ is seen during this phase which indicates that this CSM is aspherical. We find that the polarization evolves with time toward the interstellar polarization level during the photospheric phase, which suggests that the recombination photosphere is spherically symmetric. There is a jump in polarization ($p_r =0.45 \pm 0.08 \% $ and $p_r =0.62 \pm 0.08 \% $) at +73.19 and +76.19 days when the light curve falls from the plateau. This is a phase where polarimetric data is sensitive to non-spherical inner ejecta or a decrease in optical depth into the single scattering regime. We also present spectropolarimetric data that reveal line (de)polarization during most of the observed epochs. In addition, at +14.50 days we see an ``inverse P Cygni" profile in the H and He line polarization, which clearly indicates the presence of asymmetrically distributed material overlying the photosphere. The overall temporal evolution of polarization is typical for Type II SNe, but the high level of polarization during the rising phase has only been observed in SN 2023ixf.

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Spectropolarimetric modeling of interacting Type II supernovae. Application to early-time observations of SN1998S

High-cadence surveys of the sky are revealing that a large fraction of red-supergiant (RSG) stars, which are progenitors of Type II-Plateau (II-P) supernovae (SNe), explode within circumstellar material (CSM). Such SNe II-P/CSM exhibit considerable diversity, with interaction signatures lasting from hours to days, potentially merging with the Type IIn subclass for which longer-duration interaction typically occurs. To tackle this growing sample of transients and to understand the pre-SN mass loss histories of RSGs, we train on the highest quality, spectropolarimetric observations of a young Type IIn SN taken to date: Those of SN1998S at ~5d after explosion. We design an approach based on a combination of radiation hydrodynamics with HERACLES and polarized radiative transfer with CMFGEN and LONG_POL. The adopted asymmetries are based on a latitudinal, depth- and time-independent, scaling of the density of 1D models of SNe II-P/CSM (e.g., model r1w6b with a `wind' mass-loss rate of 0.01Msun/yr used for SN2023ixf). For a pole-to-equator density ratio of five, we find that the polarization reaches, and then remains for days, at a maximum value of 1.0, 1.4, and 1.8% as the CSM extent is changed from 6, to 8 and 10x10^14cm. The polarization is independent of wavelength away from funnel-shaped depolarizations within emission lines. Our models implicate a significant depolarization at line cores, which we use to constrain the interstellar polarization of SN1998S. Our 2D, prolate ejecta models with moderate asymmetry match well the spectropolarimetric observations of SN1998S at 5d, supporting a polarization level of about ~2%. This study provides a framework for interpreting future spectropolarimetric observations of SNe II-P/CSM and SNe IIn and fostering a better understanding of the origin of their pre-SN mass loss.

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The evolution of continuum polarization in Type II supernovae as a diagnostic of ejecta morphology

Linear polarization of the optical continuum of type II supernovae (SNe), together with its temporal evolution, is a promising source of information on the large-scale geometry of their ejecta. To help tap this information we have undertaken 2D polarized radiative transfer calculations to map out the possible landscape of type II SN continuum polarization (Pcont) from 20 to 300d after explosion. Our simulations are based on crafted 2D, axisymmetric ejecta constructed from 1D nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium time-dependent radiative transfer calculations for a red-supergiant star explosion. Following the approach used in our previous work on SN2012aw, we consider a variety of bipolar explosions in which spherical symmetry is broken by the presence, within ~30deg of the poles, of material with a higher kinetic energy (up to a factor of two) and higher 56Ni abundance (up to a factor of about five, with allowance for 56Ni at high velocity). Our set of eight 2D ejecta configurations produces considerable diversity in Pcont (~7000A), although its maximum of 1-4% occurs systematically around the transition to the nebular phase. Before and after that transition, Pcont may be null, constant, rising, or decreasing, which results from the complex geometry of the depth-dependent density and ionization as well as from optical depth effects. Our modest angle-dependent explosion energy can yield Pcont of 0.5-1% at early times. Residual optical-depth effects can yield an angle-dependent SN brightness and constant polarization at nebular times. Observed values of Pcont tend to be lower than obtained here, suggesting more complicated geometries with competing large-scale structures causing polarization cancellation. Extreme asymmetries seem to be excluded.

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Record-breaking polarization from the interacting superluminous supernova 2017hcc

We present multiepoch spectropolarimetry of the superluminous interacting Type IIn supernova SN2017hcc, covering 16 to 391 days after explosion. In our first epoch we measure continuum polarization as high as 6%, making SN 2017hcc the most intrinsically polarized SN ever reported. During the first 29 days of coverage, when the polarization is strongest, the continuum polarization has a wavelength dependence that rises toward blue wavelengths, and becomes wavelength independent by day 45. The polarization strength drops rapidly during the first month, even as the SN flux is still climbing to peak brightness. Nonetheless, record-high polarization is maintained until day 68, at which point the source polarization declines to 1.9%, comparable to peak levels in previous well-studied SNe IIn. Thereafter the SN continues in polarization decline, while exhibiting only minor changes in position angle on the sky. The blue slope of the polarized continuum during the first month, accompanied by short-lived polarized flux for Balmer emission, suggests that an aspherical distribution of dust grains in pre-shock circumstellar material (CSM) is echoing the SN IIn spectrum and strongly influencing the polarization, while the subsequent decline during the wavelength-independent phase appears broadly consistent with electron scattering near the SN/CSM interface. The persistence of the polarization position angle between these two phases suggests that the pre-existing CSM responsible for the dust scattering at early times is part of the same geometric structure as the electron-scattering region that dominates the polarization at later times. SN2017hcc appears to be yet another, but much more extreme, case of aspherical yet well-ordered CSM in Type IIn SNe, possibly resulting from pre-SN mass loss shaped by a binary progenitor system.

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Multi-Epoch Spectropolarimetry for a Sample of Type IIn Supernovae: Persistent Asymmetry in Dusty Circumstellar Material

We present multi-epoch spectropolarimetry and spectra for a sample of 14 Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn). We find that after correcting for likely interstellar polarization, SNe IIn commonly show intrinsic continuum polarization of 1--3% at the time of peak optical luminosity, although a few show weaker or negligible polarization. While some SNe IIn have even stronger polarization at early times, their polarization tends to drop smoothly over several hundred days after peak. We find a tendency for the intrinsic polarization to be stronger at bluer wavelengths, especially at early times. While polarization from an electron scattering region is expected to be grey, scattering of SN light by dusty circumstellar material (CSM) may induce such a wavelength-dependent polarization. For most SNe IIn, changes in polarization degree and wavelength dependence are not accompanied by changes in the position angle, requiring that asymmetric pre-SN mass loss had a persistent geometry. While 2--3% polarization is typical, about 30% of SNe IIn have very low or undetected polarization. Under the simplifying assumption that all SN IIn progenitors have axisymmetric CSM (i.e. disk/torus/bipolar), then the distribution of polarization values we observe is consistent with similarly asymmetric CSM seen from a distribution of random viewing angles. This asymmetry has very important implications for understanding the origin of pre-SN mass loss in SNe IIn, suggesting that it was shaped by binary interaction.

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What Does the Virial Coefficient of the \Hb Broad-Line Region Depend On?

We combine our dynamical modeling black hole mass measurements from the Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016 sample with measured cross-correlation time lags and line widths to recover individual scale factors, f, used in traditional reverberation mapping analyses. We extend our sample by including prior results from Code for AGN Reverberation and Modeling of Emission Lines (caramel) studies that have utilized our methods. Aiming to improve the precision of black hole mass estimates, as well as uncover any regularities in the behavior of the broad-line region (BLR), we search for correlations between f and other AGN/BLR parameters. We find (i) evidence for a correlation between the virial coefficient log10(fmean,σ) and black hole mass, (ii) marginal evidence for a similar correlation between log10(frms,σ) and black hole mass, (iii) marginal evidence for an anti-correlation of BLR disk thickness with log10(fmean,FWHM)and log10(frms,FWHM), and (iv) marginal evidence for an anti-correlation of inclination angle with log10(fmean,FWHM), log10(frms,σ), and log10(fmean,σ). Lastly, we find marginal evidence for a correlation between line-profile shape, when using the root-meansquare spectrum, log10(FWHM/σ)rms, and the virial coefficient, log10(frms,σ), and investigate how BLR properties might be related to line-profile shape using caramel models.

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The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Dynamical Modeling of Velocity-Resolved H\b{eta} Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies

We have modeled the velocity-resolved reverberation response of the H\b{eta} broad emission line in nine Seyfert 1 galaxies from the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitioring Project 2016 sample, drawing inferences on the geometry and structure of the low-ionization broad-line region (BLR) and the mass of the central supermassive black hole. Overall, we find that the H\b{eta} BLR is generally a thick disk viewed at low to moderate inclination angles. We combine our sample with prior studies and investigate line-profile shape dependence, such as log10(FWHM/σ), on BLR structure and kinematics and search for any BLR luminosity-dependent trends. We find marginal evidence for an anticorrelation between the profile shape of the broad H\b{eta} emission line and the Eddington ratio, when using the root-mean-square spectrum. However, we do not find any luminosity-dependent trends, and conclude that AGNs have diverse BLR structure and kinematics, consistent with the hypothesis of transient AGN/BLR conditions rather than systematic trends.

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The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Velocity-Resolved Hβ Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies

We carried out spectroscopic monitoring of 21 low-redshift Seyfert 1 galaxies using the Kast double spectrograph on the 3-m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory from April 2016 to May 2017. Targeting active galactic nuclei (AGN) with luminosities of λLλ (5100 Å) = 10^44 erg/s and predicted Hβ lags of 20-30 days or black hole masses of 10^7-10^8.5 Msun, our campaign probes luminosity-dependent trends in broad-line region (BLR) structure and dynamics as well as to improve calibrations for single-epoch estimates of quasar black hole masses. Here we present the first results from the campaign, including Hβ emission-line light curves, integrated Hβ lag times (8-30 days) measured against V-band continuum light curves, velocity-resolved reverberation lags, line widths of the broad Hβ components, and virial black hole mass estimates (10^7.1-10^8.1 Msun). Our results add significantly to the number of existing velocity-resolved lag measurements and reveal a diversity of BLR gas kinematics at moderately high AGN luminosities. AGN continuum luminosity appears not to be correlated with the type of kinematics that its BLR gas may exhibit. Follow-up direct modeling of this dataset will elucidate the detailed kinematics and provide robust dynamical black hole masses for several objects in this sample.

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Making Sense of Nothing

A model of the optical light detected following the merger of two neutron stars reveals polarization to be a unique probe of the geometry of the kilonova explosion that accompanied the gravitational waves.

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A High-Velocity Scatterer Revealed in the Thinning Ejecta of a Type II Supernova

We present deep, nebular-phase spectropolarimetry of the Type II-P/L SN 2013ej, obtained 167 days after explosion with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The polarized flux spectrum appears as a nearly perfect (92% correlation), redshifted (by ~4,000 km/sec) replica of the total flux spectrum. Such a striking correspondence has never been observed before in nebular-phase supernova spectropolarimetry, although data capable of revealing it have heretofore been only rarely obtained. Through comparison with 2D polarized radiative transfer simulations of stellar explosions, we demonstrate that localized ionization produced by the decay of a high-velocity, spatially confined clump of radioactive 56-Ni -- synthesized by and launched as part of the explosion with final radial velocity exceeding 4,500 km/sec -- can reproduce the observations through enhanced electron scattering. Additional data taken earlier in the nebular phase (day 134) yield a similarly strong correlation (84%) and redshift, whereas photospheric-phase epochs that sample days 8 through 97, do not. This suggests that the primary polarization signatures of the high-velocity scattering source only come to dominate once the thick, initially opaque hydrogen envelope has turned sufficiently transparent. This detection in an otherwise fairly typical core-collapse supernova adds to the growing body of evidence supporting strong asymmetries across Nature's most common types of stellar explosions, and establishes the power of polarized flux -- and the specific information encoded by it in line photons at nebular epochs -- as a vital tool in such investigations going forward.

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H$α$ Reverberation Mapping of the Intermediate-Mass Active Galactic Nucleus in NGC 4395

We present the results of a high-cadence spectroscopic and imaging monitoring campaign of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) of NGC 4395. High signal-to-noise-ratio spectra were obtained at the Gemini-N 8 m telescope using the GMOS integral field spectrograph (IFS) on 2019 March 7, and at the Keck-I 10 m telescope using the Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) with slitmasks on 2019 March 3 and April 2. Photometric data were obtained with a number of 1 m-class telescopes during the same nights. The narrow-line region (NLR) is spatially resolved; therefore, its variable contributions to the slit spectra make the standard procedure of relative flux calibration impractical. We demonstrate that spatially-resolved data from the IFS can be effectively used to correct the slit-mask spectral light curves. While we obtained no reliable lag owing to the lack of strong variability pattern in the light curves, we constrain the broad line time lag to be less than 3 hr, consistent with the photometric lag of $\sim80$ min reported by Woo et al. (2019). By exploiting the high-quality spectra, we measure the second moment of the broad component of the H$α$ emission line to be $586\pm19$ km s$^{-1}$, superseding the lower value reported by Woo et al. (2019). Combining the revised line dispersion and the photometric time lag, we update the black hole mass as $(1.7\pm 0.3)\times10^4$ M$_{\odot}$.

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Multiepoch VLT-FORS spectro-polarimetric observations of supernova 2012aw reveal an asymmetric explosion

We present VLT-FORS spectropolarimetric observations of the type II supernova (SN) 2012aw taken at seven epochs during the photospheric phase, from 16 to 120d after explosion. We correct for the interstellar polarization by postulating that the SN polarization is naught near the rest wavelength of the strongest lines - this is later confirmed by our modeling. SN2012aw exhibits intrinsic polarization, with strong variations across lines, and with a magnitude that grows in the 7000A line-free region from 0.1% at 16d up to 1.2% at 120d. This behavior is qualitatively similar to observations gathered for other type II SNe. A suitable rotation of Stokes vectors places the bulk of the polarization in q, suggesting the ejecta of SN2012aw is predominantly axisymmetric. Using an upgraded version of our 2D polarized radiative transfer code, we model the wavelength- and time-dependent polarization of SN2012aw. The key observables may be explained by the presence of a confined region of enhanced 56Ni at ~4000km/s, which boosts the electron density in a cone having an opening angle of ~50deg and an observer's inclination of ~70deg to the axis of symmetry. With this fixed asymmetry in time, the observed evolution of the SN2012aw polarization arises from the evolution of the ejecta optical depth, ionization, and the relative importance of multiple versus single scattering. However, the polarization signatures exhibit numerous degeneracies. Cancellation effects at early times imply that a low polarization may occur for ejecta with a large asymmetry. An axisymmetric ejecta with a latitude-dependent explosion energy can also yield similar polarization signatures as an asymmetric 56Ni distribution. Despite these uncertainties, SN2012aw provides additional evidence for the generic asymmetry of type II SN ejecta, of which VLT-FORS spectropolarimetric observations are a decisive and exquisite probe.

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Polarization signatures of a high-velocity scatterer in nebular-phase spectra of Type II supernovae

Type II supernovae (SNe) often exhibit a linear polarization, arising from free-electron scattering, with complicated optical signatures, both in the continuum and in lines. Focusing on the early nebular phase, at a SN age of 200d, we conduct a systematic study of the polarization signatures associated with a 56Ni `blob' that breaks spherical symmetry. Our ansatz, supported by nonLTE radiative transfer calculations, is that the primary role of such a 56Ni blob is to boost the local density of free electrons, which is otherwise reduced following recombination in SNe II. Using 2D polarized radiation transfer modeling, we explore the influence of such an electron-density enhancement, varying its magnitude N_e_fac, its velocity location V_blob, and its spatial extent. For plausible N_e_fac values of a few tens, a high-velocity blob can deliver a continuum polarization P_cont of 0.5-1.0% at 200d. Our simulations reproduce the analytic scalings for P_cont, and in particular the linear growth with the blob radial optical depth. The most constraining information is, however, carried by polarized line photons. For a high V_blob, the polarized spectrum appears as a replica of the full spectrum, scaled down by a factor 100 to 1000 (i.e., 1/P_cont), and redshifted by an amount V_blob(1-cos(alpha_los)), where alpha_los is the line of sight angle. As V_blob is reduced, the redshift decreases and the replication deteriorates. Lines whose formation region overlap with the blob appear weaker and narrower in the polarized flux. Because of its dependence on inclination (~ sin^2 alpha_los), the polarization preferentially reveals asymmetries in the plane perpendicular to the line of sight. With the adequate choice of electron-density enhancement, some of these results may apply to asymmetric explosions in general, or to the polarization signatures from newly-formed dust in the outer ejecta. [abridged]

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SN 2014ab: An Aspherical Type IIn Supernova with Low Polarization

We present photometry, spectra, and spectropolarimetry of supernova (SN) 2014ab, obtained through $\sim 200$ days after peak brightness. SN 2014ab was a luminous Type IIn SN ($M_V < -19.14$ mag) discovered after peak brightness near the nucleus of its host galaxy, VV 306c. Prediscovery upper limits constrain the time of explosion to within 200 days prior to discovery. While SN 2014ab declined by $\sim 1$ mag over the course of our observations, the observed spectrum remained remarkably unchanged. Spectra exhibit an asymmetric emission-line profile with a consistently stronger blueshifted component, suggesting the presence of dust or a lack of symmetry between the far side and near side of the SN. The Pa$β$ emission line shows a profile very similar to that of H$α$, implying that this stronger blueshifted component is caused either through obscuration by large dust grains, occultation by optically thick material, or a lack of symmetry between the far side and near side of the interaction region. Despite these asymmetric line profiles, our spectropolarimetric data show that SN 2014ab has little detected polarization after accounting for the interstellar polarization. This suggests that we are seeing emission from a photosphere that has only small deviation from circular symmetry face-on. We are likely seeing a SN IIn with nearly circular symmetry in the plane normal to our line of sight, but with either large-grain dust or significant asymmetry in the density of circumstellar material or SN ejecta along our line of sight. We suggest that SN 2014ab and SN 2010jl (as well as other SNe IIn) may be similar events viewed from different directions.

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Spectral signatures of H-rich material stripped from a non-degenerate companion by a Type Ia supernova

The single-degenerate scenario for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) should yield metal-rich ejecta that enclose some stripped material from the non-degenerate H-rich companion star. We present a large grid of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium steady-state radiative transfer calculations for such hybrid ejecta and provide analytical fits for the Halpha luminosity and equivalent width. Our set of models covers a range of masses for 56Ni and the ejecta, for the stripped material (Mst), and post-explosion epochs from 100 to 300d. The brightness contrast between stripped material and metal-rich ejecta challenges the detection of HI and HeI lines prior to ~100d. Intrinsic and extrinsic optical depth effects also influence the radiation emanating from the stripped material. This inner denser region is marginally thick in the continuum and optically thick in all Balmer lines. The overlying metal-rich ejecta blanket the inner regions, completely below about 5000A, and more sparsely at longer wavelengths. As a consequence, Hbeta should not be observed for all values of Mst through at least 300 days, while Halpha should be observed after ~100d for all Mst >= 0.01Msun. This contrasts with the case of circumstellar (CSM) interaction, not subject to external blanketing, which should produce Halpha and Hbeta lines with a strength dependent primarily on CSM density. We confirm previous analyses that suggest low values of order 0.001Msun for Mst to explain the observations of the two SNe Ia with nebular-phase Halpha detection, in conflict with the much greater stripped mass predicted by hydrodynamical simulations for the single-degenerate scenario. A more likely solution is the double-degenerate scenario, together with CSM interaction, or enclosed material from a tertiary star in a triple system or from a giant planet. [Abridged]

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The Type II-Plateau Supernova 2017eaw in NGC 6946 and Its Red Supergiant Progenitor

We present extensive optical photometric and spectroscopic observations, from 4 to 482 days after explosion, of the Type II-plateau (II-P) supernova (SN) 2017eaw in NGC 6946. SN 2017eaw is a normal SN II-P intermediate in properties between, for example, SN 1999em and SN 2012aw and the more luminous SN 2004et, also in NGC 6946. We have determined that the extinction to SN 2017eaw is primarily due to the Galactic foreground and that the SN site metallicity is likely subsolar. We have also independently confirmed a tip-of-the-red-giant-branch (TRGB) distance to NGC 6946 of 7.73+/-0.78 Mpc. The distances to the SN that we have also estimated via both the standardized candle method and expanding photosphere method corroborate the TRGB distance. We confirm the SN progenitor identity in pre-explosion archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer Space Telescope images, via imaging of the SN through our HST Target of Opportunity program. Detailed modeling of the progenitor's spectral energy distribution indicates that the star was a dusty, luminous red supergiant consistent with an initial mass of ~15 Msuns.

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The Berkeley Sample of Stripped-Envelope Supernovae

We present the complete sample of stripped-envelope supernova (SN) spectra observed by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) collaboration over the last three decades: 888 spectra of 302 SNe, 652 published here for the first time, with 384 spectra (of 92 SNe) having photometrically-determined phases. After correcting for redshift and Milky Way dust reddening and reevaluating the spectroscopic classifications for each SN, we construct mean spectra of the three major spectral subtypes (Types IIb, Ib, and Ic) binned by phase. We compare measures of line strengths and widths made from this sample to the results of previous efforts, confirming that O I λ7774 absorption is stronger and found at higher velocity in Type Ic SNe than in Types Ib or IIb SNe in the first 30 days after peak brightness, though the widths of nebular emission lines are consistent across subtypes. We also highlight newly available observations for a few rare subpopulations of interest.

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