On the Progenitor of SN 2005gl and the Nature of Type IIn Supernovae

By A. Gal-yam, D. Leonard, D. Fox, S. Cenko, A. Soderberg, D. moon, D. J. Sand, W. Li, A. Filippenko, G. Aldering and 1 more. 2006

251 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We present a study of the Type IIn supernova (SN) 2005gl, in the relatively nearby (d ≈ 66 Mpc) galaxy NGC 266. Photometry and spectroscopy of the SN indicate that it is a typical member of its class. Pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging of the location of the SN, along with a precise localization of this event using the laser guide star assisted adaptive optics (LGS-AO) system at Keck Observatory, are combined to identify a luminous (MV = -10.3 mag) point source as the possible progenitor of SN 2005gl. If the source is indeed a single star, it was likely a member of the class of luminous blue variable stars (LBVs). This finding leads us to consider the possible general association of SNe IIn with LBV progenitors; it is indeed supported by observations of other SNe, and the known properties of LBV stars. For example, we argue that should the prototypical Galactic LBV η Carina explode in a phase similar to its current state, it will likely produce a SN IIn. We discuss our findings in the context of current ideas about the evolution of massive stars and review the census of SNe with identified progenitors. The concept of the progenitor-SN map is introduced as a convenient means to discuss the present status and future prospects of direct searches for SN progenitors. We conclude that this field has matured considerably in recent years, and the transition from anecdotal information about rare single events to robust associations of progenitor classes with specific SN types has already begun.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/1aa1bc73d31a331b1c5d1b6a6bdc00ae7954f272

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. N. Smith
2. S. Smartt
3. E. Berger
4. A. Filippenko
5. B. Metzger
6. Bing Zhang
7. Stan Woosley
8. Ryan Chornock

Citations in the corpus

• Carnegie Supernova Project: Observations of Type IIn supernovae ⋆ (2013, background): “SN 2005gl also shows a spectral evolution that resembles that of SN 1998S (Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Gal-Yam & Leonard 2009).”
• Progenitor mass constraints for core-collapse supernovae from correlations with host galaxy star formation⋆ (2012, background): “We note that this does not exclude a small fraction events such as SN 2005gl (Gal-Yam et al. 2007), arising from very massive stars.”
• Observational Constraints on the Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae: The Case for Missing High-Mass Stars (2015, background): “The first discovered was the progenitor of SN2005gl which was a bright MV −10 progenitor detected at the surprisingly large distance of 60 Mpc (Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Gal-Yam & Leonard 2009).”
• A PANCHROMATIC VIEW OF THE RESTLESS SN 2009ip REVEALS THE EXPLOSIVE EJECTION OF A MASSIVE STAR ENVELOPE (2013, result): “However, massive progenitor stars have proven to be more elusive (e.g. Kochanek et al. 2008): SN 2005gl constitutes the first direct evidence for a massive (M > 50M ) and H rich star to explode as a corecollapse SN, contrary to theoretical expectations (Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Gal-Yam et al. 2009).”
• Discovery of the Dust-Enshrouded Progenitor of SN 2008S with Spitzer (2008, background): “…to their low frequencies, high mass loss rates, and the massive circumstellar envelopes generally required to explain the observations, some luminous type IIn supernovae have been associated with the deaths of the most massive stars (e.g., Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Smith 2008 and references therein).”
• Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium. I. Type Ibn (SN 2006jc-like) events (2008, background): “However, recent work (Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Kotak & Vink 2006; Smith et al. 2007) has suggested the possibility that some very massive stars may explode alreadyduring the LBV phase, producing luminous supernovae (SNe).”
• A NEW CLASS OF LUMINOUS TRANSIENTS AND A FIRST CENSUS OF THEIR MASSIVE STELLAR PROGENITORS (2008, background): “They will provide an essential mechanism for understanding the direct causal mapping between individual progenitor types and their transients (see, e.g., Gal-Yam et al. 2007).”
• THE COSMIC CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA RATE DOES NOT MATCH THE MASSIVE-STAR FORMATION RATE (2011, background): “Observations of CC SNe and their progenitors test our understanding of stellar evolution (see, e.g., the progenitorSN map of Gal-Yam et al. 2007), and the extreme densities and temperatures reached in CC SNe offer the opportunity to study the physics of weakly interacting particles, formation of…”
• RED SUPERGIANTS AS POTENTIAL TYPE IIn SUPERNOVA PROGENITORS: SPATIALLY RESOLVED 4.6 μm CO EMISSION AROUND VY CMa AND BETELGEUSE (2008, background): “Gal-Yam et al. (2007) identified an LBV-like progenitor of a SN IIn, and postulated that essentially all SNe IIn mark the explosions of LBVs.”
• Observational and Physical Classification of Supernovae (2016, unknown): “This class is diverse, but at least some of these explosions arise from massive progenitors (e.g., Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Gal-Yam & Leonard 2009; Smith et al. 2011).”
• SN 2011dh: DISCOVERY OF A TYPE IIb SUPERNOVA FROM A COMPACT PROGENITOR IN THE NEARBY GALAXY M51 (2011, background): “Evidence also exists linking Type IIn SNe with much more massive progenitors (Gal-Yam et al. 2007; Gal-Yam & Leonard 2009; Smith et al. 2011a).”
• Mass Loss: Its Effect on the Evolution and Fate of High-Mass Stars (2014, methodology): “The mass-loss rates indicated by the CSM suggest that viable progenitors could be LBVs (Gal-Yam et al. 2007, Taddia et al. 2013) as well as extreme RSGs or YHGs (Smith et al. 2009) (see Fig 3).”
• The Galactic WC stars Stellar parameters from spectral analyses indicate a new evolutionary sequence (2012, background): “As type IInsupernovae require huge eruptive mass-loss that exceeds eventhe high WR mass-loss rates, the primary candidates are LBVs, as suggested by Gal-Yam et al. (2007) and eventually proven for SN 2005gl (Gal-Yam & Leonard 2009).”
• PREPARING FOR AN EXPLOSION: HYDRODYNAMIC INSTABILITIES AND TURBULENCE IN PRESUPERNOVAE (2013, background): “It has been proposed that eruptive LBV-like events are connected to SNe IIn (Smith et al. 2007, 2008, 2010a; Gal-Yam et al. 2007), but this has been controversial.”
• Nearby Supernova Rates from the Lick Observatory Supernova Search. II. The Observed Luminosity Functions and Fractions of Supernovae in a Complete Sample (2010, background): “…be easily distinguished from the others because of their unique spectral features (a prominent narrow or intermediate-width emission component in the hydrogen Balmer lines), although in rare cases a SN IIn can spectroscopically evolve into a regular SN II (e.g., SN 2005gl, Gal-Yam et al. 2007).”
• Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae (2009, background): “Variations on such extensions were discussed by Massey (2003), Crowther (2007) and Gal-Yam et al. (2007) for example.”
• CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE FROM THE PALOMAR TRANSIENT FACTORY: INDICATIONS FOR A DIFFERENT POPULATION IN DWARF GALAXIES (2010, result): “Note that for the purpose of this paper, we do not distinguish between the different SN II subtypes (IIn, displaying narrow and intermediate-width components; IIP/L, based on light-curve shape) except for Type IIb.”