Sample of hydrogen-rich superluminous supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility

Context. Hydrogen-rich superluminous supernovae (SLSNe II) are rare. The exact mechanism producing their extreme light curve peaks is not understood. Analysis of single events and small samples suggest that circumstellar material (CSM) interaction is the main mechanism responsible for the observed features. However, other mechanisms cannot be discarded. Large sample analysis can provide clarification. Aims. We aim to characterize the light curves of a sample of 107 SLSNe II to provide valuable information that can be used to validate theoretical models. Methods. We analyzed the gri light curves of SLSNe II obtained through ZTF. We studied the peak absolute magnitudes and characteristic timescales. When possible, we computed the g − r colors and pseudo-bolometric light curves, and estimated lower limits for their total radiated energy. We also studied the luminosity distribution of our sample and estimated the fraction that would be observable by the LSST. Finally, we compared our sample to other H-rich SNe and to H-poor SLSNe I. Results. SLSNe II are heterogeneous. Their median peak absolute magnitude is ∼ − 20.3 mag in optical bands. Their rise can take from ∼two weeks to over three months, and their decline times range from ∼twenty days to over a year. We found no significant correlations between peak magnitude and timescales. SLSNe II tend to show fainter peaks, longer declines, and redder colors than SLSNe I. Conclusions. We present the largest sample of SLSN II light curves to date, comprising 107 events. Their diversity could be explained by different CSM morphologies, although theoretical analysis is needed to explore alternative scenarios. Other luminous transients, such as active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events or SNe Ia-CSM, can easily become contaminants. Thus, good multiwavelength light curve coverage becomes paramount. LSST could miss ∼30% of the ZTF events in its gri band footprint.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-02-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202452014
Citations
10
Primary Topic
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
11.55

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article

Sample of hydrogen-rich superluminous supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility

Avery Wold, Reed Riddle, Y. Hu, A. Gangopadhyay et al.
10 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
11.55
article

Sample of hydrogen-rich superluminous supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility

Avery Wold, Reed Riddle, Y. Hu, A. Gangopadhyay, Sjoert van Velzen, P. J. Pessi, S.R. Kulkarni, J. Sollerman, M. J. Graham, Y. Sharma, A.Y.Q. Ho, R. Lunnan, K-Ryan Hinds, D.A. Perley, C. Fremling, A. Gal‐Yam, Lin Yan, T. Kangas, S.J. Brennan, D. Cook, J. S. Bloom, Igor Andreoni, B. Rusholme, S. Schulze, Eric C. Bellm, A. Gkini, Avinash Singh, T. W. Chen, M. M. Kasliwal
article en
10 citations

Abstract

Context. Hydrogen-rich superluminous supernovae (SLSNe II) are rare. The exact mechanism producing their extreme light curve peaks is not understood. Analysis of single events and small samples suggest that circumstellar material (CSM) interaction is the main mechanism responsible for the observed features. However, other mechanisms cannot be discarded. Large sample analysis can provide clarification. Aims. We aim to characterize the light curves of a sample of 107 SLSNe II to provide valuable information that can be used to validate theoretical models. Methods. We analyzed the gri light curves of SLSNe II obtained through ZTF. We studied the peak absolute magnitudes and characteristic timescales. When possible, we computed the g − r colors and pseudo-bolometric light curves, and estimated lower limits for their total radiated energy. We also studied the luminosity distribution of our sample and estimated the fraction that would be observable by the LSST. Finally, we compared our sample to other H-rich SNe and to H-poor SLSNe I. Results. SLSNe II are heterogeneous. Their median peak absolute magnitude is ∼ − 20.3 mag in optical bands. Their rise can take from ∼two weeks to over three months, and their decline times range from ∼twenty days to over a year. We found no significant correlations between peak magnitude and timescales. SLSNe II tend to show fainter peaks, longer declines, and redder colors than SLSNe I. Conclusions. We present the largest sample of SLSN II light curves to date, comprising 107 events. Their diversity could be explained by different CSM morphologies, although theoretical analysis is needed to explore alternative scenarios. Other luminous transients, such as active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events or SNe Ia-CSM, can easily become contaminants. Thus, good multiwavelength light curve coverage becomes paramount. LSST could miss ∼30% of the ZTF events in its gri band footprint.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 695
Northwestern University (US), Leiden University (NL), California Institute of Technology (US), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US), University of Turku (FI), Stockholm University (SE), University of Washington (US), Cornell University (US), National Central University (TW), Joint Space Science Institute (US), AlbaNova (SE), Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (US), Deleted Institution, City University of Seattle (US), Weizmann Institute of Science (IL), Liverpool John Moores University (GB), University of Maryland, College Park (US), University of California, Berkeley (US)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Washington, Space Telescope Science Institute, University of Warwick, European Commission, Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, Weizmann Institute of Science, Queen's University, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Israel Science Foundation, Ministry of Education, India, Stockholms Universitet, Science and Technology Facilities Council, European Research Council, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
11.55
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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