Secondary Maximum in the Near-Infrared Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae

By D. Kasen. 2006

201 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We undertake a theoretical study of the near-infrared (NIR) light curves of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). In these bands, the light curves are distinguished by a secondary maximum occurring roughly 20-30 days after the initial one. Using time-dependent multigroup radiative transfer calculations, we calculate the UBVRIJHK-band light curves of model SN Ia ejecta structures. Our synthetic NIR light curves show distinct secondary maxima and provide favorable fits to observed SNe Ia. We offer a detailed explanation of the origin of the NIR secondary maximum, which is shown to relate directly to the ionization evolution of iron group elements in the ejecta. This understanding provides immediate insight into the dependence of the NIR light curves on the physical properties of the ejecta and in particular explains why brighter supernovae have a later and more prominent secondary maximum. We demonstrate the dependence of the NIR light curves on the mass of 56Ni, the degree of 56Ni mixing, the mass of electron capture elements, the progenitor metallicity, and the abundance of intermediate-mass elements (especially calcium). The secondary maximum is shown to be a valuable diagnostic of these important physical parameters. The models further confirm that SNe Ia should be excellent standard candles in the NIR, with a dispersion of ≲0.2 mag even when the physical properties of the ejecta are varied widely. This study emphasizes the consummate value of NIR observations in probing the structure of SNe Ia and in furthering their cosmological utility.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/17dc6140c7f386d0f41dc8bd4566bc31fdc12759

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. A. Filippenko
2. D. Kasen
3. A. Riess
4. N. Smith
5. Stan Woosley
6. R. Kirshner
7. S. Smartt
8. S. Jha

Citations in the corpus

• Type Ia Supernovae Are Good Standard Candles in the Near Infrared: Evidence from PAIRITEL (2007, background): “The prospect of large homogeneous data sets coupled with progress in modeling SN Ia NIR light curves (Kasen 2006) raises hopes that SNe Ia, especially in the rest-frame H band, can be developed into the most precise and accurate of cosmological distance probes.”
• DOUBLE-DETONATION SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR SUPERNOVAE: SYNTHETIC OBSERVABLES FOR MINIMUM HELIUM SHELL MASS MODELS (2010, methodology): “However, the NIR light curves are much more difficult to model accurately since they require simulations with an extensive atomic data set to properly simulate flux redistribution by fluorescence which strongly affects these bands (Kasen 2006; Kromer & Sim 2009).”
• NEARBY SUPERNOVA FACTORY OBSERVATIONS OF SN 2007if: FIRST TOTAL MASS MEASUREMENT OF A SUPER-CHANDRASEKHAR-MASS PROGENITOR (2010, methodology): “We estimate, or place limits on, theJ-band contribution outside the bounds of phase coverage with a piecewise linear extrapolation based on theJ-band light curves from Kasen (2006).”
• Measuring the Hubble constant with Type Ia supernovae as near-infrared standard candles (2017, background): “For example, H-band is even less sensitive to dust and may provide an even better standard candle (Kasen 2006; WoodVasey et al. 2008; Mandel et al. 2009, 2011; Weyant et al. 2014).”
• Observational probes of cosmic acceleration (2012, background): “This small dispersion in near-IR peak luminosities relative to optical is consistent with theoretical expectations from radiative transfer models (Kasen, 2006).”
• The VISTA deep extragalactic observations (VIDEO) survey (2012, background): “Further, as outlined by Kasen (2006), near-IR light curves offer insight into several key aspects of SN Ia physics.”
• OPACITIES AND SPECTRA OF THE r-PROCESS EJECTA FROM NEUTRON STAR MERGERS (2013, background): “However, supernova transport calculations have shown that for complex ions, repeated fluorescence among a multitude of lines has an approximately thermal character (Pinto & Eastman 2000; Kasen 2006).”
• 3D deflagration simulations leaving bound remnants: a model for 2002cx-like Type Ia supernovae (2012, background): “Kasen (2006) has shown that SN ejecta with such a homogenized composition are not expected to show secondary maxima in the NIR.”
• Time-dependent three-dimensional spectrum synthesis for Type Ia supernovae (2009, methodology): “It was pointed out by Kasen et al. (2006) and Kasen (2006) that these missing lines are crucial to obtain light curves in good agreement with observations, especially in the NIR.”
• Fourteen months of observations of the possible super-Chandrasekhar mass Type Ia Supernova 2009dc (2010, background): “We derive a rise time of 23 d and m15(B) = 0.72 mag, which are two of the most extreme values for these parameters ever seen in an SN Ia. Assuming no host-galaxy reddening, we derive a peak bolometric luminosity of about 2.4 × 1043 erg s−1, though this is almost certainly an underestimate since we o”
• Optical and Near-Infrared Observations of the Highly Reddened, Rapidly Expanding Type Ia Supernova SN 2006X in M100 (2007, background): “The variation of the secondary maximum of the near-IR light curves can be related to the abundance stratification in SNe Ia, the concentration of iron-group elements, and the progenitor metallicity (Kasen 2006).”
• THE CARNEGIE SUPERNOVA PROJECT: ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST SAMPLE OF LOW-REDSHIFT TYPE-Ia SUPERNOVAE (2009, methodology): “Using the nomenclature of Kasen (2006), the following parameters were measured: (1) the phase of the peak of the secondary maximum with respect to B-band maximum, t2 − tB ; (2) the difference in magnitudes between the secondary maximum and the local minimum between the primary and the secondary…”
• The Carnegie Supernova Project. I. Third Photometry Data Release of Low-redshift Type Ia Supernovae and Other White Dwarf Explosions (2017, background): “Finally, both theory and observations indicate that the rest-frame peak NIR magnitudes of SNe Ia exhibit a smaller intrinsic scatter (Kasen 2006; Mandel et al. 2009; Kattner et al. 2012) and require only minimal luminosity versus decline-rate corrections.”
• TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA LIGHT CURVE INFERENCE: HIERARCHICAL MODELS IN THE OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED (2010, background): “Theoretical models of Kasen (2006) indicate that NIR peak absolute magnitudes have relatively weak sensitivity to the input progenitor 56Ni mass, with a dispersion of ∼0.2 mag in J and K, and ∼0.1 mag in H over models ranging from 0.4 to 0.9 solar masses of 56Ni.”
• PAIR INSTABILITY SUPERNOVAE: LIGHT CURVES, SPECTRA, AND SHOCK BREAKOUT (2011, methodology): “The lack of a secondary maximum does not necessarily rule out the presence of substantial 56Ni, as strong radial mixing of the nickel can sometimes smear out the two bumps (Kasen 2006).”
• The Carnegie Supernova Project: Absolute Calibration and the Hubble Constant (2018, background): “The location of the peak (B−V ) color is generally thought to be due to the recombination of Fe III to Fe II, which deposits energy into the ejecta, making it bluer (Kasen 2006; Hoeflich et al. 2017) and producing the secondary maxima in the NIR bands.”
• SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR MASS MODELS FOR SUPERNOVAE (2010, background): “Fluorescence in these lines redistributes flux from shorter to longer wavelengths (Pinto & Eastman 2000; Kasen 2006), causing the colors to become progressively redder after peak.”
• NORMAL TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE FROM VIOLENT MERGERS OF WHITE DWARF BINARIES (2012, background): “However, high precision modeling of the NIR lightcurves requires an extensive atomic data set to properly simulate flux redistribution by fluorescence (Kasen 2006; Kromer & Sim 2009).”
• High luminosity, slow ejecta and persistent carbon lines: SN 2009dc challenges thermonuclear explosion scenarios (2010, background): “However, in the latter it appears to be a consequence of the small 56Ni mass (Kasen 2006), which cannot be the reason in SN 2009dc. Alternatively, 56Ni could be more strongly mixed (Kasen 2006), but this is disfavoured by the long rise time and the weak line blanketing in the UV part of early…”
• The Peculiar SN 2005hk: Do Some Type Ia Supernovae Explode as Deflagrations? (2006, methodology): “2007 PASP, 119:360–387 Kasen (2006) has recently emphasized that the strength of the secondary maximum in the IJHK bands is an excellent diagnostic of the degree of 56Ni mixing in the ejecta of SNe Ia.”