arXiv subjects

Roger A. Chevalier

Publications and source records attributed to Roger A. Chevalier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Cassiopeia A's Reverse Shock and its Effects on the Expanding SN Ejecta

Using optical and near-infrared images of the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) supernova remnant covering the time period 1951 to 2022, together with optical spectra of selected filaments, we present an investigation of Cas A's reverse shock velocity and the effects it has on the remnant's metal-rich ejecta. We find the sequence of optical ejecta brightening and the appearance of new optical ejecta indicating the advancement of the remnant's reverse shock in the remnant's main shell has velocities typically between 1000 and 2000 km/s, which is ~1000 km/s less than recent measurements made in X-rays. We further find the reverse shock appears to move much more slowly and is nearly even stationary in the sky frame along the remnant's western limb. However, we do not find the reverse shock to move inward at velocities as large as ~2000 km/s as has been reported. Optical ejecta in Cas A's main emission shell have proper motions indicating outward tangential motions ~3500 - 6000 km/s, with the smaller values preferentially along the remnant's southern regions which we speculate may be partially the cause of the remnant's faint and more slowly evolving southern sections. Following interaction with the reverse shock, ejecta knots exhibit extended mass ablated trails 0.2" - 0.5" in length leading to extended emission indicating reverse shock induced decelerated velocities as large as 1000 km/s. Such ablated material is most prominently seen in higher ionization line emissions, whereas denser parts of ejecta knots show surprisingly little deceleration.

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arXiv2024

Dinosaur in a Haystack : X-ray View of the Entrails of SN 2023ixf and the Radio Afterglow of Its Interaction with the Medium Spawned by the Progenitor Star (Paper 1)

We present the results from our extensive hard-to-soft X-ray (NuSTAR, Swift-XRT, XMM-Newton, Chandra) and meter-to-mm wave radio (GMRT, VLA, NOEMA) monitoring campaign of the very nearby (d $=6.9$ Mpc) Type II SN2023ixf spanning $\approx$ 4--165 d post-explosion. This unprecedented dataset enables inferences on the explosion's circumstellar medium (CSM) density and geometry. Specifically, we find that the luminous X-ray emission is well modeled by thermal free-free radiation from the forward shock with rapidly decreasing photo-electric absorption with time. The radio spectrum is dominated by synchrotron radiation from the same shock, and the NOEMA detection of high-frequency radio emission may indicate a new component consistent with the secondary origin. Similar to the X-rays, the level of free-free absorption affecting the radio spectrum rapidly decreases with time as a consequence of the shock propagation into the dense CSM. While the X-ray and the radio modeling independently support the presence of a dense medium corresponding to an \emph{effective} mass-loss rate $\dot{M} \approx 10^{-4}\, \rm M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}$ at $R = (0.4-14) \times 10^{15}$ (for $v_{\rm w}=\rm 25 \,km\,s^{-1}$), our study points at a complex CSM density structure with asymmetries and clumps. The inferred densities are $\approx$10--100 times those of typical red supergiants, indicating an extreme mass-loss phase of the progenitor in the $\approx$200 years preceding core collapse, which leads to the most X-ray luminous Type II SN and the one with the most delayed emergence of radio emission. These results add to the picture of the complex mass-loss history of massive stars on the verge of collapse and demonstrate the need for panchromatic campaigns to fully map their intricate environments.

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arXiv2024

Chandra's insights into SN 2023ixf

We report Chandra-ACIS observations of SN 2023ixf in M101 on day 13 and 86 since the explosion. The X-rays in both epochs are characterized by high temperature plasma from the forward shocked region as a result of circumstellar interaction. We are able to constrain the absorption column density at both Chandra epochs, which is much larger than that due to the Galactic and host absorption column, and we attribute it to absorption by the circumstellar matter in the immediate vicinity of SN 2023ixf. Combining our column density measurements with the published measurement on day 4, we show that the column density declines as $t^{-2}$ between day 4 to day 13 and then evolves as $t^{-1}$. The unabsorbed $0.3-10$ keV luminosity evolves as $t^{-1}$ during the Chandra epochs. On day 13 Chandra observation we detect the Fe K$α$ fluorescent line at 6.4 keV indicating presence of cold material in the vicinity of the SN. The line is absent on day 86, consistent with the decreased column density by a factor of 7 between the two epochs. Our analysis indicates that during 10 years to 1.5 years before explosion, the progenitor was evolving with a constant mass-loss rate of $5.6\times 10^{-4}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$.

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arXiv2022

The luminous Type IIN supernova SN 2017hcc: Infrared bright, X-ray and radio faint

We present multiwavelength observations of supernova (SN) 2017hcc with the Chandra X-ray telescope and the X-ray telescope onboard Swift (Swift-XRT) in X-ray bands, with the Spitzer and the TripleSpec spectrometer in near-infrared (IR) and mid-IR bands and with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) for radio bands. The X-ray observations cover a period of 29 to 1310 days, with the first X-ray detection on day 727 with the Chandra. The SN was subsequently detected in the VLA radio bands from day 1000 onwards. While the radio data are sparse, synchrotron-self absorption is clearly ruled out as the radio absorption mechanism. The near- and the mid-IR observations showed that late time IR emission dominates the spectral energy distribution. The early properties of \snhcc\ are consistent with shock breakout into a dense mass-loss region, with $\dot M \sim 0.1 M_\odot \rm yr^{-1}$ for a decade. At few 100 days, the mass-loss rate declined to $\sim 0.02 M_\odot \rm yr^{-1}$, as determined from the dominant IR luminosity. In addition, radio data also allowed us to calculate a mass-loss rate at around day 1000, which is two orders of magnitude smaller than the mass-loss rate estimates around the bolometric peak. These values indicate that the SN progenitor underwent an enhanced mass-loss event a decade before the explosion. The high ratio of IR to X-ray luminosity is not expected in simple models and is possible evidence for an asymmetric circumstellar region.

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arXiv2020

Supernova Interaction with a Dense Detached Shell in SN 2001em

We carry out a comprehensive analysis of supernova \snem\ covering a period of 19 years since discovery. SN 2001em is the oldest supernova known to have undergone a metamorphosis from a stripped envelope to an interacting supernova. An early spectrum indicates it exploded as a Type Ib supernova. Later, the ejecta caught up with a dense circumstellar H-shell, ejected a few thousand years before the explosion, triggering interaction between the supernova ejecta and the dense shell, producing radio, X-ray and H$α$ emission. We use archival data with the Very Large Array in radio bands and with Chandra, XMM-NEWTON and SWIFT-XRT in X-ray bands, along with published H$α$ measurements. We combine these data with our low radio frequency observations with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at two epochs covering three frequencies. While the observations missed the phase when the shock entered the dense shell, the X-rays indicate that the shock came out of the dense shell at around 1750 days. The data suggest a forward shock origin of the X-ray emission. Radio data show a spectral inversion at late epochs ($> 5000$\,d) at around 3 GHz, which mimics the properties of the central absorbed component seen in SN 1986J. A possible explanation for this component is that the progenitor of \snem\ was a massive binary system which had undergone a period of common envelope evolution. The hydrogen envelope from the \snem\ progenitor may have been lost as a result of binary interaction.

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arXiv2020

Detection of the Red Supergiant Wind from the Progenitor of Cassiopeia A

Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is one of the best studied young Galactic supernova remnants. While providing a rare opportunity to study in detail the remnant of a Type IIb supernova, questions remain regarding the nature of its progenitor, its mass-loss history, and its pre-SN evolution. Here we present an optical investigation of the circumstellar environment around Cas A and find clumpy and filamentary Halpha emission nebulosities concentrated 10-15 pc (10-15 arcminutes) to the north and east. First reported by Minkowski as a faint H II region, these nebulosities exhibit distinct morphological and spectroscopic properties relative to the surrounding diffuse emissions. Compared to neighboring H II regions, these nebulae show stronger [N II] 6548, 6583 A and [S II] 6716, 6731 A emissions relative to Halpha. We show that Cas A's highest-velocity ejecta knots are interacting with some of the closest projected emission nebulae, thus providing strong evidence that these nebulae lie at the same distance as the remnant. We interpret these surrounding nebulosities to be the remains of the progenitor's red supergiant wind which accumulated against the southern edge of a large extended H II region located north of Cas A. Our findings are consistent with the view that Cas A's progenitor underwent considerable mass-loss, first from a fast main-sequence wind, then from a slower, clumpy red supergiant wind, and finally from a brief high-velocity wind, like that from a yellow supergiant.

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arXiv2018

Numerical simulations of supernova remnants in turbulent molecular clouds

Core-collapse supernova (SN) explosions may occur in the highly inhomogeneous molecular clouds (MCs) in which their progenitors were born. We perform a series of 3-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to model the interaction between an individual supernova remnant (SNR) and a turbulent MC medium, in order to investigate possible observational evidence for the turbulent structure of MCs. We find that the properties of SNRs are mainly controlled by the mean density of the surrounding medium, while a SNR in a more turbulent medium with higher supersonic turbulent Mach number shows lower interior temperature, lower radial momentum, and dimmer X-ray emission compared to one in a less turbulent medium with the same mean density. We compare our simulations to observed SNRs, in particular, to W44, W28 and IC 443. We estimate that the mean density of the ambient medium is $\sim 10\,$cm$^{-3}$ for W44 and W28. The MC in front of IC 443 has a density of $\sim 100\,$cm$^{-3}$. We also predict that the ambient MC of W44 is more turbulent than that of W28 and IC 443. The ambient medium of W44 and W28 has significantly lower average density than that of the host giant MC. This result may be related to the stellar feedback from the SNRs' progenitors. Alternatively, SNe may occur close to the interface between molecular gas and lower density atomic gas. The region of shocked MC is then relatively small and the breakout into the low density atomic gas comprises most of the SNR volume.

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arXiv2018

Evidence for a pulsar wind nebula in the Type Ib-peculiar supernova SN 2012au

We present an optical spectrum of the energetic Type Ib supernova (SN) 2012au obtained at an unprecedented epoch of 6.2 years after explosion. Forbidden transition emission lines of oxygen and sulfur are detected with expansion velocities of 2300 km/s. The lack of narrow H Balmer lines suggests that interaction with circumstellar material is not a dominant source of the observed late-time emission. We also present a deep Chandra observation that reveals no X-ray emission down to a luminosity of L_X < 2 x 10^{38} erg/s (0.5-10 keV). Our findings are consistent with the notion that SN 2012au is associated with a diverse subset of SNe, including long-duration gamma-ray burst SNe and superluminous SNe, harboring pulsar/magnetar wind nebulae that influence core-collapse explosion dynamics on a wide range of energy scales. We hypothesize that these systems may all evolve into a similar late-time phase dominated by forbidden oxygen transitions, and predict that emission line widths should remain constant or broaden a few per cent per year due to the acceleration of ejecta by the pulsar/magnetar bubble.

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arXiv2018

The 30-Year Search for the Compact Object in SN 1987A

Despite more than 30 years of searches, the compact object in Supernova (SN) 1987A has not yet been detected. We present new limits on the compact object in SN 1987A using millimeter, near-infrared, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray observations from ALMA, VLT, HST, and Chandra. The limits are approximately 0.1 mJy ($0.1\times 10^{-26}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ Hz$^{-1}$) at 213 GHz, 1 Lsun ($6\times 10^{-29}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ Hz$^{-1}$) in optical if our line-of-sight is free of ejecta dust, and $10^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$ ($2\times 10^{-30}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ Hz$^{-1}$) in 2-10 keV X-rays. Our X-ray limits are an order of magnitude less constraining than previous limits because we use a more realistic ejecta absorption model based on three-dimensional neutrino-driven SN explosion models (presented in an accompanying article). The allowed bolometric luminosity of the compact object is 22 Lsun if our line-of-sight is free of ejecta dust, or 138 Lsun if dust-obscured. Depending on assumptions, these values limit the effective temperature of a neutron star to <4-8 MK and do not exclude models, which typically are in the range 3-4 MK. For the simplest accretion model, the accretion rate for an efficiency $η$ is limited to $< 10^{-11} η^{-1}$ Msun yr$^{-1}$, which excludes most predictions. For pulsar activity modeled by a rotating magnetic dipole in vacuum, the limit on the magnetic field strength ($B$) for a given spin period ($P$) is $B < 10^{14} P^2$ G s$^{-2}$. By combining information about radiation reprocessing and geometry, it is likely that the compact object is a dust-obscured thermally-emitting neutron star, which may appear as a region of higher-temperature ejecta dust emission.

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arXiv2018

Superluminous supernovae

Superluminous supernovae are a new class of supernovae that were recognized about a decade ago. Both observational and theoretical progress has been significant in the last decade. In this review, we first briefly summarize the observational properties of superluminous supernovae. We then introduce the three major suggested luminosity sources to explain the huge luminosities of superluminous supernovae, i.e., the nuclear decay of 56Ni, the interaction between supernova ejecta and dense circumstellar media, and the spin down of magnetars. We compare these models and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.

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arXiv2017

X-ray Emission from SN 2012ca: A Type Ia-CSM Supernova Explosion in a Dense Surrounding Medium

X-ray emission is one of the signposts of circumstellar interaction in supernovae (SNe), but until now, it has been observed only in core-collapse SNe. The level of thermal X-ray emission is a direct measure of the density of the circumstellar medium (CSM), and the absence of X-ray emission from Type Ia SNe has been interpreted as a sign of a very low density CSM. In this paper, we report late-time (500--800 days after discovery) X-ray detections of SN 2012ca in {\it Chandra} data. The presence of hydrogen in the initial spectrum led to a classification of Type Ia-CSM, ostensibly making it the first SN~Ia detected with X-rays. Our analysis of the X-ray data favors an asymmetric medium, with a high-density component which supplies the X-ray emission. The data suggest a number density $> 10^8$ cm$^{-3}$ in the higher-density medium, which is consistent with the large observed Balmer decrement if it arises from collisional excitation. This is high compared to most core-collapse SNe, but it may be consistent with densities suggested for some Type IIn or superluminous SNe. If SN 2012ca is a thermonuclear SN, the large CSM density could imply clumps in the wind, or a dense torus or disk, consistent with the single-degenerate channel. A remote possibility for a core-degenerate channel involves a white dwarf merging with the degenerate core of an asymptotic giant branch star shortly before the explosion, leading to a common envelope around the SN.

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arXiv2017

Pulsar Wind Bubble Blowout from a Supernova

For pulsars born in supernovae, the expansion of the shocked pulsar wind nebula is initially in the freely expanding ejecta of the supernova. While the nebula is in the inner flat part of the ejecta density profile, the swept-up, accelerating shell is subject to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. We carried out 2 and 3-dimensional simulations showing that the instability gives rise to filamentary structure during this initial phase but does not greatly change the dynamics of the expanding shell. The flow is effectively self-similar. If the shell is powered into the outer steep part of the density profile, the shell is subject to a robust Rayleigh-Taylor instability in which the shell is fragmented and the shocked pulsar wind breaks out through the shell. The flow is not self-similar in this phase. For a wind nebula to reach this phase requires that the deposited pulsar energy be greater than the supernova energy, or that the initial pulsar period be in the ms range for a typical $10^{51}$ erg supernova. These conditions are satisfied by some magnetar models for Type I superluminous supernovae. We also consider the Crab Nebula, which may be associated with a low energy supernova for which this scenario applies.

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arXiv2016

Thermal and non-thermal emission from circumstellar interaction

It has become clear during the last decades that the interaction between the supernova ejecta and the circumstellar medium is playing a major role both for the observational properties of the supernova and for understanding the evolution of the progenitor star leading up to the explosion. In addition, it provides an opportunity to understand the shock physics connected to both thermal and non-thermal processes, including relativistic particle acceleration, radiation processes and the hydrodynamics of shock waves. This chapter has an emphasis on the information we can get from radio and X-ray observations, but also their connection to observations in the optical and ultraviolet. We first review the different physical processes involved in circumstellar interaction, including hydrodynamics, thermal X-ray emission, acceleration of relativistic particles and non-emission processes in the radio and X-ray ranges. Finally, we discuss applications of these to different types of supernovae.

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arXiv2016

Shock evolution in non-radiative supernova remnants

We present a new analytical approach to derive approximate solutions describing the shock evolution in non-radiative supernova remnants (SNRs). We focus on the study of the forward shock and contact discontinuity while application to the reverse shock is only discussed briefly. The spherical shock evolution of a SNR in both the interstellar medium with a constant density profile and a circumstellar medium with a wind density profile is investigated. We compared our new analytical solution with numerical simulations and found that a few percent accuracy is achieved. For the evolution of the forward shock, we also compared our new solution to previous analytical models. In a uniform ambient medium, the accuracy of our analytical approximation is comparable to that in Truelove&McKee (1999). In a wind density profile medium, our solution performs better than that in Micelotta et al. (2016), especially when the ejecta envelope has a steep density profile. The new solution is significantly simplified compared to previous analytical models, as it only depends on the asymptotic behaviors of the remnant during its evolution.

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arXiv2016

Time dependent diffusive shock acceleration and its application to middle aged supernova remnants

Recent gamma-ray observations show that middle aged supernova remnants (SNRs) interacting with molecular clouds (MCs) can be sources of both GeV and TeV emission. Based on the MC association, two scenarios have been proposed to explain the observed gamma-ray emission. In one, energetic cosmic ray (CR) particles escape from the SNR and then illuminate nearby MCs, producing gamma-ray emission, while the other involves direct interaction between the SNR and MC. In the direct interaction scenario, re-acceleration of pre-existing CRs in the ambient medium is investigated while particles injected from the thermal pool are neglected in view of the slow shock speeds in middle aged SNRs. However, standard diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) theory produces a steady state particle spectrum that is too flat compared to observations, which suggests that the high energy part of the observed spectrum has not yet reached a steady state. We derive a time dependent DSA solution in the test particle limit for re-acceleration of pre-existing CRs case and show that it is capable of reproducing the observed gamma-ray emission in SNRs like IC 443 and W44, in the context of a MC interaction model. We also provide a simple physical picture to understand the time dependent DSA spectrum. A spatially averaged diffusion coefficient around the SNR can be estimated through fitting the gamma-ray spectrum. The spatially averaged diffusion coefficient in middle aged SNRs like IC 443 and W44 is estimated to be ~ 10^25 cm^2/s at ~ 1GeV, which is between the Bohm limit and interstellar value.

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arXiv2015

A Deep Search for Prompt Radio Emission from Thermonuclear Supernovae with the Very Large Array

Searches for circumstellar material around Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are one of the most powerful tests of the nature of SN Ia progenitors, and radio observations provide a particularly sensitive probe of this material. Here we report radio observations for SNe Ia and their lower-luminosity thermonuclear cousins. We present the largest, most sensitive, and spectroscopically diverse study of prompt (delta t <~ 1 yr) radio observations of 85 thermonuclear SNe, including 25 obtained by our team with the unprecedented depth of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. With these observations, SN 2012cg joins SN 2011fe and SN 2014J as a SN Ia with remarkably deep radio limits and excellent temporal coverage (six epochs, spanning 5--216 days after explosion, yielding Mdot/v_w <~ 5 x 10^-9 M_sun/yr / (100 km/s), assuming epsilon_B = 0.1 and epsilon_e = 0.1). All observations yield non-detections, placing strong constraints on the presence of circumstellar material. We present analytical models for the temporal and spectral evolution of prompt radio emission from thermonuclear SNe as expected from interaction with either wind-stratified or uniform density media. These models allow us to constrain the progenitor mass loss rates, with limits ranging from Mdot <~ 10^-9--10^-4 M_sun/yr, assuming a wind velocity v_w=100 km/s. We compare our radio constraints with measurements of Galactic symbiotic binaries to conclude that <~10% of thermonuclear SNe have red giant companions.

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arXiv2015

X-ray and radio emission from Type IIn supernova SN 2010jl

We present all X-ray and radio observations of the Type IIn supernova SN 2010jl. The X-ray observations cover a period up to day 1500 with Chandra, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR and Swift-XRT. The Chandra observations after 2012 June, the XMM-Newton observation in 2013 November, and most of the Swift-XRT observations until 2014 December are presented for the first time. All the spectra can be fitted by an absorbed hot thermal model except for \chandra spectra on 2011 October and 2012 June when an additional component is needed. Although the origin of this component is uncertain, it is spatially coincident with the supernova and occurs when there are changes to the supernova spectrum in the energy range close to that of the extra component, indicating that the emission is related to the supernova. The X-ray light curve shows an initial plateau followed by a steep drop starting at day $\sim 300$. We attribute the drop to a decrease in the circumstellar density. The column density to the X-ray emission drops rapidly with time, showing that the absorption is in the vicinity of the supernova. We also present Very Large Array radio observations of SN 2010jl. Radio emission was detected from \sn from day 570 onwards. The radio light curves and spectra suggest that the radio luminosity was close to its maximum at the first detection. The velocity of the shocked ejecta derived assuming synchrotron self absorption is much less than that estimated from the optical and X-ray observations, suggesting that free-free absorption dominates.

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arXiv2015

The Destruction of the Circumstellar Ring of SN 1987A

We present imaging and spectroscopic observations with HST and VLT of the ring of SN 1987A from 1994 to 2014. After an almost exponential increase of the shocked emission from the hotspots up to day ~8,000 (~2009), both this and the unshocked emission are now fading. From the radial positions of the hotspots we see an acceleration of these up to 500-1000 km/s, consistent with the highest spectroscopic shock velocities from the radiative shocks. In the most recent observations (2013 and 2014), we find several new hotspots outside the inner ring, excited by either X-rays from the shocks or by direct shock interaction. All of these observations indicate that the interaction with the supernova ejecta is now gradually dissolving the hotspots. We predict, based on the observed decay, that the inner ring will be destroyed by ~2025.

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