Nebular Spectroscopy of the "Blue Bump" Type Ia Supernova 2017cbv Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Abstract We present nebular phase optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the Type Ia supernova (SN) 2017cbv. The early light curves of SN2017cbv showed a prominent blue bump in the U, B, and g bands lasting for 5 days. One interpretation of the early light curve is that the excess blue light is due to shocking of the SN ejecta against a nondegenerate companion stara signature of the single degenerate scenario. If this is the correct interpretation, the interaction between the SN ejecta and the companion star could result in significant H (or helium) emission at late times, possibly along with other species, depending on the companion star and its orbital separation. A search for H emission in our +302 d spectrum yields a nondetection, with a L H <8.01035 erg s1 (given an assumed distance of D=12.3 Mpc), which we verified by implanting simulated H emission into our data. We make a quantitative comparison to models of swept-up material stripped from a nondegenerate companion star and limit the mass of hydrogen that might remain undetected to M H<1104 M . A similar analysis of helium star related lines yields a M He<5104 M . Taken at face value, these results argue against a nondegenerate H- or He-rich companion in Roche lobe overflow as the progenitor of SN 2017cbv. Alternatively, there could be weaknesses in the envelope-stripping and radiative transfer models necessary to interpret the strong H and He flux limits.

published proceedings

  • ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL

altmetric score

  • 2.25

author list (cited authors)

  • Sand, D. J., Graham, M. L., Botyanszki, J., Hiramatsu, D., McCully, C., Valenti, S., ... Wyatt, S.

citation count

  • 65

complete list of authors

  • Sand, DJ||Graham, ML||Botyanszki, J||Hiramatsu, D||McCully, C||Valenti, S||Hosseinzadeh, G||Howell, DA||Burke, J||Cartier, R||Diamond, T||Hsiao, EY||Jha, SW||Kasen, D||Kumar, S||Marion, GH||Suntzeff, N||Tartaglia, L||Wheeler, JC||Wyatt, S

publication date

  • August 2018