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M. R. Drout

Publications and source records attributed to M. R. Drout.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

The Demographics of Binary Companions to Stripped-Envelope Supernovae: Confronting Observations with Population Synthesis

Stripped-envelope supernovae (SESNe) mark the deaths of massive stars without hydrogen-rich envelopes. Most SESNe likely originate from binary systems where a companion stripped the progenitor of its envelope. Years of HST imaging of nearby SESNe sites have produced a statistically meaningful sample of constraints on surviving binary companions. We assemble the current sample of six companion detections and six non-detections from the literature, re-analyzing whenever needed. We then conduct the first statistical comparison with binary population-synthesis predictions, primarily based on new calculations performed with the POSYDON framework. Across a metallicity range, our models predict that 80-90% of Type Ib/c and 60-85% of IIb SNe explode with a rapidly rotating, main-sequence companion. The observed luminosity distribution favors fairly inefficient mass accretion and failed explosions of the most massive stripped stars. The companion detection fraction broadly matches predictions, given the imaging depth, but appears elevated for Type IIb SNe. In all but one non-detection, a faint, undetected companion is the most likely scenario. The red, apparently evolved companions in a few Type Ib/c SNe may result from strong interaction with the ejecta, expected in $\sim$12% of them. Companion demographics offer a powerful, independent probe of SESN progenitor systems, with the current sample disfavoring efficient accretion and supporting Wolf-Rayet non-explodability. Larger companion samples and follow-up studies will further clarify binary pathways to SESNe, serving as benchmarks for transient surveys.

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arXiv2025

The mass distribution of stars stripped in binaries: The effect of metallicity

Stars stripped of their hydrogen-rich envelopes through binary interaction are thought to be responsible for both hydrogen-poor supernovae and the hard ionizing radiation observed in low-$Z$ galaxies. A population of these stars was recently observed for the first time, but their prevalence remains unknown. In preparation for such measurements, we estimate the mass distribution of hot, stripped stars using a population synthesis code that interpolates over detailed single and binary stellar evolution tracks. We predict that for a constant star formation rate of $1 \,M_\odot$/yr and regardless of metallicity, a scalable model population contains ~30,000 stripped stars with mass $M_{\rm strip}>1M_\odot$ and ~4,000 stripped stars that are sufficiently massive to explode ($M_{\rm strip}>2.6M_\odot$). Below $M_{\rm strip}=5M_\odot$, the distribution is metallicity-independent and can be described by a power law with the exponent $α\sim -2$. At higher masses and lower metallicity ($Z \lesssim 0.002$), the mass distribution exhibits a drop. This originates from the prediction, frequently seen in evolutionary models, that massive low-metallicity stars do not expand substantially until central helium burning or later and therefore cannot form long-lived stripped stars. With weaker line-driven winds at low metallicity, this suggests that neither binary interaction nor wind mass loss can efficiently strip massive stars at low metallicity. As a result, a "helium-star desert" emerges around $M_{\rm strip} =15\, M_\odot$ at $Z=0.002$, covering an increasingly large mass range with decreasing metallicity. We note that these high-mass stars are those that potentially boost a galaxy's He$^+$-ionizing radiation and that participate in the formation of merging black holes. This "helium-star desert" therefore merits further study.

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arXiv2025

Final Moments III: Explosion Properties and Progenitor Constraints of CSM-Interacting Type II Supernovae

We present analysis of the plateau and late-time phase properties of a sample of 39 Type II supernovae (SNe II) that show narrow, transient, high-ionization emission lines (i.e., "IIn-like") in their early-time spectra from interaction with confined, dense circumstellar material (CSM). Originally presented by Jacobson-Galán et al 2024a, this sample also includes multicolor light curves and spectra extending to late-time phases of 35 SNe with no evidence for IIn-like features at <2 days after first light. We measure photospheric phase light-curve properties for the distance-corrected sample and find that SNe II with IIn-like features have significantly higher luminosities and decline rates at +50 days than the comparison sample, which could be connected to inflated progenitor radii, lower ejecta mass, and/or persistent CSM interaction. However, we find no statistical evidence that the measured plateau durations and $^{56}$Ni masses of SNe II with and without IIn-like features arise from different distributions. We estimate progenitor zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) masses for all SNe with nebular spectroscopy through spectral model comparisons and find that most objects, both with and without IIn-like features, are consistent with progenitor masses <12.5 M$_{\odot}$. Combining progenitor ZAMS masses with CSM densities inferred from early-time spectra suggests multiple channels for enhanced mass loss in the final years before core collapse such as a convection-driven chromosphere or binary interaction. Finally, we find spectroscopic evidence for ongoing ejecta-CSM interaction at radii $>10^{16}$ cm, consistent with substantial progenitor mass-loss rates of $\sim 10^{-4}$--$10^{-5}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ ($v_w < 50$ km/s) in the final centuries to millennia before explosion.

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arXiv2024

Double "acct": a distinct double-peaked supernova matching pulsational pair-instability models

We present multi-wavelength data of SN2020acct, a double-peaked stripped-envelope supernova (SN) in NGC2981 at ~150 Mpc. The two peaks are temporally distinct, with maxima separated by 58 rest-frame days, and a factor of 20 reduction in flux between. The first is luminous (M$_{r}$ = -18.00 $\pm$ 0.02 mag), blue (g - r = 0.27 $\pm$ 0.03 mag), and displays spectroscopic signatures of interaction with hydrogen-free circumstellar material. The second peak is fainter (M$_{r}$ = -17.29 $\pm$ 0.03 mag), and spectroscopically similar to an evolved stripped-envelope SNe, with strong blended forbidden [Ca II] and [O II] features. No other known double-peak SN exhibits a light curve similar to that of SN 2020acct. We find the likelihood of two individual SNe occurring in the same star-forming region within that time to be highly improbable, while an implausibly fine-tuned configuration would be required to produce two SNe from a single binary system. We find that the peculiar properties of SN2020acct match models of pulsational pair instability (PPI), in which the initial peak is produced by collisions of shells of ejected material, shortly followed by a terminal explosion. Pulsations from a star with a 72 M$_{\odot}$ helium core provide an excellent match to the double-peaked light curve. The local galactic environment has a metallicity of 0.4 Z$_{\odot}$, a level where massive single stars are not expected retain enough mass to encounter the PPI. However, late binary mergers or a low-metallicity pocket may allow the required core mass. We measure the rate of SN 2020acct-like events to be $<3.3\times10^{-8}$ Mpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$ at z = 0.07, or <0.1% of the total core-collapse SN rate.

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arXiv2024

SN 2024ggi in NGC 3621: Rising Ionization in a Nearby, CSM-Interacting Type II Supernova

We present UV/optical/NIR observations and modeling of supernova (SN) 2024ggi, a type II supernova (SN II) located in NGC 3621 at 7.2 Mpc. Early-time ("flash") spectroscopy of SN 2024ggi within +0.8 days of discovery shows emission lines of H I, He I, C III, and N III with a narrow core and broad, symmetric wings (i.e., IIn-like) arising from the photoionized, optically-thick, unshocked circumstellar material (CSM) that surrounded the progenitor star at shock breakout. By the next spectral epoch at +1.5 days, SN 2024ggi showed a rise in ionization as emission lines of He II, C IV, N IV/V and O V became visible. This phenomenon is temporally consistent with a blueward shift in the UV/optical colors, both likely the result of shock breakout in an extended, dense CSM. The IIn-like features in SN 2024ggi persist on a timescale of $t_{\rm IIn} = 3.8 \pm 1.6$ days at which time a reduction in CSM density allows the detection of Doppler broadened features from the fastest SN material. SN 2024ggi has peak UV/optical absolute magnitudes of $M_{\rm w2} = -18.7$ mag and $M_{\rm g} = -18.1$ mag that are consistent with the known population of CSM-interacting SNe II. Comparison of SN 2024ggi with a grid of radiation hydrodynamics and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (nLTE) radiative-transfer simulations suggests a progenitor mass-loss rate of $\dot{M} = 10^{-2}$M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ ($v_w$ = 50 km/s), confined to a distance of $r < 5\times 10^{14}$ cm. Assuming a wind velocity of $v_w$ = 50 km/s, the progenitor star underwent an enhanced mass-loss episode in the last ~3 years before explosion.

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arXiv2024

The Gravity Collective: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Electromagnetic Search for the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW190425

We present an ultraviolet-to-infrared search for the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart to GW190425, the second-ever binary neutron star (BNS) merger discovered by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration (LVK). GW190425 was more distant and had a larger localization area than GW170817, therefore we use a new tool teglon to redistribute the GW190425 localization probability in the context of galaxy catalogs within the final localization volume. We derive a 90th percentile area of 6,688 deg$^{2}$, a $\sim$1.5$\times$ improvement relative to the LIGO/Virgo map, and show how teglon provides an order of magnitude boost to the search efficiency of small ($\leq$1 deg$^{2}$) field-of-view instruments. We combine our data with all publicly reported imaging data, covering 9,078.59 deg$^2$ of unique area and 48.13% of the LIGO/Virgo-assigned localization probability, to calculate the most comprehensive kilonova, short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) afterglow, and model-independent constraints on the EM emission from a hypothetical counterpart to GW190425 to date under the assumption that no counterpart was found in these data. If the counterpart were similar to AT 2017gfo, there was a 28.4% chance that it would have been detected in the combined dataset. We are relatively insensitive to an on-axis sGRB, and rule out a generic transient with a similar peak luminosity and decline rate as AT 2017gfo to 30% confidence. Finally, across our new imaging and all publicly-reported data, we find 28 candidate optical counterparts that we cannot rule out as being associated with GW190425, finding that 4 such counterparts discovered within the localization volume and within 5 days of merger exhibit luminosities consistent with a kilonova.

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arXiv2024

Final Moments II: Observational Properties and Physical Modeling of CSM-Interacting Type II Supernovae

We present ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared observations and modeling of Type II supernovae (SNe II) whose early-time ($δt < 2$ days) spectra show transient, narrow emission lines from shock ionization of confined ($r < 10^{15}$ cm) circumstellar material (CSM). The observed electron-scattering broadened line profiles (i.e., IIn-like) of HI, He I/II, C III/IV, and N III/IV/V from the CSM persist on a characteristic timescale ($t_{\rm IIn}$) that marks a transition to a lower-density CSM and the emergence of Doppler-broadened features from the fast-moving SN ejecta. Our sample, the largest to date, consists of 39 SNe with early-time IIn-like features in addition to 35 "comparison" SNe with no evidence of early-time IIn-like features, all with ultraviolet observations. The total sample consists of 50 unpublished objects with 474 previously unpublished spectra and 50 multiband light curves, collected primarily through the Young Supernova Experiment and Global Supernova Project collaborations. For all sample objects, we find a significant correlation between peak ultraviolet brightness and both $t_{\rm IIn}$ and the rise time, as well as evidence for enhanced peak luminosities in SNe II with IIn-like features. We quantify mass-loss rates and CSM density for the sample through matching of peak multiband absolute magnitudes, rise times, $t_{\rm IIn}$ and optical SN spectra with a grid of radiation hydrodynamics and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (nLTE) radiative-transfer simulations. For our grid of models, all with the same underlying explosion, there is a trend between the duration of the electron-scattering broadened line profiles and inferred mass-loss rate: $t_{\rm IIn} \approx 3.8[\dot{M}/(0.01 \textrm{M}_{\odot} \textrm{yr}^{-1})]$ days.

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arXiv2023

Discovery of the missing intermediate-mass helium stars stripped in binaries

The theory of binary evolution predicts that many massive stars should lose their hydrogen-rich envelopes via interaction with a companion -- revealing hot helium stars with masses of $\sim$2--8M$_{\odot}$. However, only one candidate system had been identified, leaving a large discrepancy between theory and observation. Here, we present a new sample of stars -- identified via excess ultraviolet emission -- whose luminosities, colors, and spectral morphologies are consistent with predictions for the missing population. We detect radial velocity variations indicative of binary motion and measure high temperatures ($T_{\rm eff}\sim60-100$kK), high surface gravities ($\log(g)\sim5$) and depleted surface hydrogen mass fractions ($X_{\rm{H,surf}}\lesssim0.3$), which match expectations for stars with initial masses between 8--25 M$_{\odot}$ that have been stripped via binary interaction. These systems fill the helium star mass gap between subdwarfs and Wolf-Rayet stars, and are thought to be of large astrophysical significance as ionizing sources, progenitors of stripped-envelope supernovae and merging double neutron stars.

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arXiv2023

Stellar properties of observed stars stripped in binaries in the Magellanic Clouds

Massive stars (~8-25Msun) stripped of their hydrogen-rich envelopes via binary interaction are thought to be the main progenitors for merging neutron stars and stripped-envelope supernovae. We recently presented the discovery of the first set of such stripped stars in a companion paper. Here, we fit the spectra of ten stars with new atmosphere models in order to constrain their stellar properties precisely. We find that the stellar properties align well with the theoretical expectations from binary evolution models for helium-core burning envelope-stripped stars. The fits confirm that the stars have high effective temperatures (Teff~50-100kK), high surface gravities (log g ~5), and hydrogen-poor/helium-rich surfaces (X(H, surf)~0-0.4) while showing for the first time a range of bolometric luminosities (10^3-10^5 Lsun), small radii (~0.5-1Rsun), and low Eddington factors (Gamma_e~0.006-0.4). Using these properties, we derive intermediate current masses (~1-8Msun), which suggest that their progenitors were massive stars (~5-25Msun) and that a subset will reach core-collapse, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes. Using the model fits, we also estimate the emission rates of ionizing photons for these stars, which agree well with previous model expectations. Further, by computing models for a range of mass-loss rates, we find that the stellar winds are weaker than predicted by any existing scheme (Mdot(wind)<~ 1e-9 Msun/yr). The properties of this first sample of intermediate mass helium stars suggest they both contain progenitors of type Ib and IIb supernovae, and provide important benchmarks for binary evolution and population synthesis models.

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arXiv2023

Luminous Radio Emission from the Superluminous Supernova 2017ens at 3.3 years after explosion

We present the results from a multi-year radio campaign of the superluminous supernova (SLSN) 2017ens, which yielded the earliest radio detection of a SLSN to date at the age of $\sim$3.3 years after explosion. SN2017ens was not detected at radio frequencies in the first $\sim$300\,d of evolution but reached $L_ν\approx 10^{28}\,\rm{erg\,s^{-1}\,cm^{-2}}$ at $ν\sim 6$ GHz, $\sim1250$ days post-explosion. Interpreting the radio observations in the context of synchrotron radiation from the supernova shock interaction with the circumstellar medium (CSM), we infer an effective mass-loss rate of $\approx 10^{-4}\,\rm{M_{\odot}yr^{-1}}$ at $r\sim 10^{17}$ cm from the explosion's site, for a wind speed of $v_w=50-60\,\rm{km\,s^{-1}}$ measured from optical spectra. These findings are consistent with the spectroscopic metamorphosis of SN2017ens from hydrogen-poor to hydrogen-rich $\sim190$ d after explosion reported by Chen et al., 2018. SN2017ens is thus an addition to the sample of hydrogen-poor massive progenitors that explode shortly after having lost their hydrogen envelope. The inferred circumstellar densities, implying a CSM mass up to $\sim0.5\,\rm{M_{\odot}}$, and low velocity of the ejection point at binary interactions (in the form of common envelope evolution and subsequent envelope ejection) playing a role in shaping the evolution of the stellar progenitors of SLSNe in the $\lesssim 500$ yr preceding core collapse.

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arXiv2023

The Young Supernova Experiment Data Release 1 (YSE DR1): Light Curves and Photometric Classification of 1975 Supernovae

We present the Young Supernova Experiment Data Release 1 (YSE DR1), comprised of processed multi-color Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) griz and Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) gr photometry of 1975 transients with host-galaxy associations, redshifts, spectroscopic/photometric classifications, and additional data products from 2019 November 24 to 2021 December 20. YSE DR1 spans discoveries and observations from young and fast-rising supernovae (SNe) to transients that persist for over a year, with a redshift distribution reaching z~0.5. We present relative SN rates from YSE's magnitude- and volume-limited surveys, which are consistent with previously published values within estimated uncertainties for untargeted surveys. We combine YSE and ZTF data, and create multi-survey SN simulations to train the ParSNIP and SuperRAENN photometric classification algorithms; when validating our ParSNIP classifier on 472 spectroscopically classified YSE DR1 SNe, we achieve 82% accuracy across three SN classes (SNe Ia, II, Ib/Ic) and 90% accuracy across two SN classes (SNe Ia, core-collapse SNe). Our classifier performs particularly well on SNe Ia, with high (>90%) individual completeness and purity, which will help build an anchor photometric SNe Ia sample for cosmology. We then use our photometric classifier to characterize our photometric sample of 1483 SNe, labeling 1048 (~71%) SNe Ia, 339 (~23%) SNe II, and 96 (~6%) SNe Ib/Ic. YSE DR1 provides a training ground for building discovery, anomaly detection, and classification algorithms, performing cosmological analyses, understanding the nature of red and rare transients, exploring tidal disruption events and nuclear variability, and preparing for the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

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arXiv2022

A fast rising tidal disruption event from a candidate intermediate mass black hole

Massive black holes (BHs) at the centres of massive galaxies are ubiquitous. The population of BHs within dwarf galaxies, on the other hand, is evasive. Dwarf galaxies are thought to harbour BHs with proportionally small masses, including intermediate mass BHs, with masses $10^{2} < M_{BH} < 10^{6} M_{\odot}$. Identification of these systems has historically relied upon the detection of light emitted from accreting gaseous discs close to the BHs. Without this light, they are difficult to detect. Tidal disruption events (TDEs), the luminous flares produced when a star strays close to a BH and is shredded, are a direct way to probe massive BHs. The rise times of these flares theoretically correlate with the BH mass. Here we present AT2020neh, a fast rising TDE candidate, hosted by a dwarf galaxy. AT2020neh can be described by the tidal disruption of a main sequence star by a 10$^{4.7} - 10^{5.9} M_{\odot}$ BH. We find the observable rate of fast rising nuclear transients like AT2020neh to be rare, at $\lesssim 2 \times 10^{-8}$ events Mpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$. Finding non-accreting BHs in dwarf galaxies is important to determine how prevalent BHs are within these galaxies, and constrain models of BH formation. AT2020neh-like events may provide a galaxy-independent method of measuring IMBH masses.

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arXiv2022

To TDE or not to TDE: The luminous transient ASASSN-18jd with TDE-like and AGN-like qualities

We present the discovery of ASASSN-18jd (AT 2018bcb), a luminous optical/UV/X-ray transient located in the nucleus of the galaxy 2MASX J22434289--1659083 at $z=0.1192$. Over the year after discovery, Swift UVOT photometry shows the UV SED of the transient to be well modeled by a slowly shrinking blackbody with temperature $T \sim 2.5 \times 10^{4} \rm ~K$, a maximum observed luminosity of $L_\text{max} = 4.5^{+0.6}_{-0.3} \times 10^{44} \rm ~erg ~s^{-1}$, and a radiated energy of $E = 9.6^{+1.1}_{-0.6} \times 10^{51} \rm ~erg$. X-ray data from Swift XRT and XMM-Newton show a transient, variable X-ray flux with blackbody and power-law components that fade by nearly an order of magnitude over the following year. Optical spectra show strong, roughly constant broad Balmer emission as well as transient features attributable to He II, N III-V, O III, and coronal Fe. While ASASSN-18jd shares similarities with Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs), it is also similar to the newly-discovered nuclear transients seen in quiescent galaxies and faint Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs).

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arXiv2021

The Young Supernova Experiment: Survey Goals, Overview, and Operations

Time domain science has undergone a revolution over the past decade, with tens of thousands of new supernovae (SNe) discovered each year. However, several observational domains, including SNe within days or hours of explosion and faint, red transients, are just beginning to be explored. Here, we present the Young Supernova Experiment (YSE), a novel optical time-domain survey on the Pan-STARRS telescopes. Our survey is designed to obtain well-sampled $griz$ light curves for thousands of transient events up to $z \approx 0.2$. This large sample of transients with 4-band light curves will lay the foundation for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, providing a critical training set in similar filters and a well-calibrated low-redshift anchor of cosmologically useful SNe Ia to benefit dark energy science. As the name suggests, YSE complements and extends other ongoing time-domain surveys by discovering fast-rising SNe within a few hours to days of explosion. YSE is the only current four-band time-domain survey and is able to discover transients as faint $\sim$21.5 mag in $gri$ and $\sim$20.5 mag in $z$, depths that allow us to probe the earliest epochs of stellar explosions. YSE is currently observing approximately 750 square degrees of sky every three days and we plan to increase the area to 1500 square degrees in the near future. When operating at full capacity, survey simulations show that YSE will find $\sim$5000 new SNe per year and at least two SNe within three days of explosion per month. To date, YSE has discovered or observed 8.3% of the transient candidates reported to the International Astronomical Union in 2020. We present an overview of YSE, including science goals, survey characteristics and a summary of our transient discoveries to date.

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arXiv2020

Searches after Gravitational Waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO): Observations and Analysis from Advanced LIGO/Virgo's Third Observing Run

With the conclusion of the third observing run for Advanced LIGO/Virgo (O3), we present a detailed analysis of both triggered and serendipitous observations of 17 gravitational wave (GW) events (7 triggered and 10 purely serendipitous) from the Searches After Gravitational-waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO) program. We searched a total of 4935 deg$^2$ down to a median 5$σ$ transient detection depth of 21.1 AB mag using the Mt Lemmon 1.5 m telescope, the discovery engine for SAGUARO. In addition to triggered events within 24~hours, our transient search encompassed a time interval following GW events of $<120$~hrs, providing observations on $\sim$ 1/2 of the events accessible to the Mt Lemmon 1.5 m telescope. We covered 2.1--86\% of the LVC total probability ($P_{\rm total}$) for individual events, with a median $P_{\rm total} \approx 8\%$ within $<120$~hours. Following improvements to our pipeline and the addition of serendipitous observations, we find a total of 7 new optical candidates across 5 GW events which we are unable to rule out after searching for additional information and comparing to kilonova models. Using both publicly available and our own late-time data, we investigated a total of 252 optical candidates for these 17 events, finding only 65\% were followed up in some capacity by the community. Of the total 252 candidates, we are able to rule out an additional 12 previously reported counterpart candidates. In light of these results, we discuss lessons learned from the SAGUARO GW counterpart search. We discuss how community coordination of observations and candidate follow-up, as well as the role of archival data, are crucial to improving the efficiency of follow-up efforts and preventing unnecessary duplication of effort with limited EM resources.

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arXiv2020

Stars stripped in binaries -- the living gravitational wave sources

Binary interaction can cause stellar envelopes to be stripped, which significantly reduces the radius of the star. The orbit of a binary composed of a stripped star and a compact object can therefore be so tight that the gravitational radiation the system produces reaches frequencies accessible to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Two such stripped stars in tight orbits with white dwarfs are known so far (ZTF J2130+4420 and CD-30 11223), but many more are expected to exist. These binaries provide important constraints for binary evolution models and may be used as LISA verification sources. We develop a Monte Carlo code that uses detailed evolutionary models to simulate the Galactic population of stripped stars in tight orbits with either neutron star or white dwarf companions. We predict 0-100 stripped star + white dwarf binaries and 0-4 stripped star + neutron star binaries with SNR>5 after 10 years of observations with LISA. More than 90% of these binaries are expected to show large radial velocity shifts of $\gtrsim 200$ km/s, which are spectroscopically detectable. Photometric variability due to tidal deformation of the stripped star is also expected and has been observed in ZTF J2130+4420 and CD-30 11223. In addition, the stripped star + neutron star binaries are expected to be X-ray bright with $L_X \gtrsim 10^{33} - 10^{36}$ erg/s. Our results show that stripped star binaries are promising multi-messenger sources for the upcoming electromagnetic and gravitational wave facilities.

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arXiv2020

A Galaxy-Targeted Search for the Optical Counterpart of the Candidate NS-BH Merger S190814bv with Magellan

On 2019 August 14 the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo gravitational wave interferometer announced the detection of a binary merger, S190814bv, with a low false alarm rate (FAR) of about 1 in $1.6\times 10^{25}$ years, a distance of $267\pm 52$ Mpc, a 90\% (50\%) localization region of about 23 (5) deg$^2$, and a probability of being a neutron star--black hole (NS-BH) merger of $>99\%$. The LIGO/Virgo Collaboration (LVC) defines NS-BH such that the lighter binary member has a mass of $<3$ M$_\odot$ and the more massive one has $>5$ M$_\odot$, and this classification is in principle consistent with a BH-BH merger depending on the actual upper mass cut-off for neutron stars. Additionally, the LVC designated a probability that the merger led to matter outside the final BH remnant of $<1\%$, suggesting that an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart is unlikely. Here we report our optical follow-up observations of S190814bv using the Magellan Baade 6.5 m telescope to target all 96 galaxies in the GLADE catalog within the 50\% localization volume (representing about 70\% of the integrated luminosity within this region). No counterpart was identified to a median $3σ$ limiting magnitude of $i=22.2$ ($M_i\approx -14.9$ mag), comparable to the brightness of the optical counterpart of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 at the distance of S190814bv; similarly, we can rule out an on-axis jet typical of short GRBs. However, we cannot rule out other realistic models, such as a kilonova with only $\sim 0.01$ M$_\odot$ of lanthanide-rich material, or an off-axis jet with a viewing angle of $θ_{\rm obs}\gtrsim 15^\circ$.

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arXiv2019

Supernova Photometric Classification Pipelines Trained on Spectroscopically Classified Supernovae from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium-Deep Survey

Photometric classification of supernovae (SNe) is imperative as recent and upcoming optical time-domain surveys, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), overwhelm the available resources for spectrosopic follow-up. Here we develop a range of light curve classification pipelines, trained on 518 spectroscopically-classified SNe from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium-Deep Survey (PS1-MDS): 357 Type Ia, 93 Type II, 25 Type IIn, 21 Type Ibc, and 17 Type I SLSNe. We present a new parametric analytical model that can accommodate a broad range of SN light curve morphologies, including those with a plateau, and fit this model to data in four PS1 filters (griz). We test a number of feature extraction methods, data augmentation strategies, and machine learning algorithms to predict the class of each SN. Our best pipelines result in 90% average accuracy, 70% average purity, and 80% average completeness for all SN classes, with the highest success rates for Type Ia SNe and SLSNe and the lowest for Type Ibc SNe. Despite the greater complexity of our classification scheme, the purity of our Type Ia SN classification, 95%, is on par with methods developed specifically for Type Ia versus non-Type Ia binary classification. As the first of its kind, this study serves as a guide to developing and training classification algorithms for a wide range of SN types with a purely empirical training set, particularly one that is similar in its characteristics to the expected LSST main survey strategy. Future work will implement this classification pipeline on ~3000 PS1/MDS light curves that lack spectroscopic classification.

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