Spectropolarimetry of superluminous supernovae: insight into their geometry

Inserra, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3968-4409, Bulla, M., Sim, S. A. and Smartt, S. J. 2016. Spectropolarimetry of superluminous supernovae: insight into their geometry. Astrophysical Journal 831 (1) , 79. 10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/79

Preview

PDF - Published Version Download (915kB) | Preview

Abstract

We present the first spectropolarimetric observations of a hydrogen-free superluminous supernova (SLSN) at z = 0.1136, namely SN 2015bn. The transient shows significant polarization at both of the observed epochs: one 24 days before maximum light in the rest-frame, and the other at 27 days after peak luminosity. Analysis of the Q – U plane suggests the presence of a dominant axis and no physical departure from the main axis at either epoch. The polarization spectrum along the dominant axis is characterized by a strong wavelength dependence and an increase in the signal from the first to the second epoch. We use a Monte Carlo code to demonstrate that these properties are consistent with a simple toy model that adopts an axisymmetric ellipsoidal configuration for the ejecta. We find that the wavelength dependence of the polarization is possibly due to a strong wavelength dependence in the line opacity, while the higher level of polarization at the second epoch is a consequence of the increase in the asphericity of the inner layers of the ejecta or the fact that the photosphere recedes into less spherical layers. The geometry of the SLSN is similar to that of stripped-envelope core-collapse SNe connected to GRB, while the overall evolution of the ejecta shape could be consistent with a central engine.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Publisher:	American Astronomical Society
ISSN:	0004-637X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	2 January 2019
Date of Acceptance:	24 August 2016
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 03:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/117970

Citation Data

Cited 59 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item