Energetic eruptions leading to a peculiar hydrogen-rich explosion of a massive star - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2017 Nov 8;551(7679):210-213.

doi: 10.1038/nature24030.

Iair Arcavi 1 2 3, Daniel Kasen 4 5 6, Lars Bildsten 2 3, Griffin Hosseinzadeh 1 3, Curtis McCully 1 3, Zheng Chuen Wong 1 3, Sarah Rebekah Katz 1 3, Avishay Gal-Yam 7, Jesper Sollerman 8, Francesco Taddia 8, Giorgos Leloudas 7 9, Christoffer Fremling 8, Peter E Nugent 6 10, Assaf Horesh 7 11, Kunal Mooley 12, Clare Rumsey 13, S Bradley Cenko 14 15, Melissa L Graham 6 16, Daniel A Perley 9 17, Ehud Nakar 18, Nir J Shaviv 11, Omer Bromberg 18, Ken J Shen 6, Eran O Ofek 7, Yi Cao 16 19, Xiaofeng Wang 20, Fang Huang 20, Liming Rui 20, Tianmeng Zhang 21 22, Wenxiong Li 20, Zhitong Li 20, Jujia Zhang 23 24, Stefano Valenti 25, David Guevel 1 3, Benjamin Shappee 26, Christopher S Kochanek 27 28, Thomas W-S Holoien 27 28, Alexei V Filippenko 6 29, Rob Fender 12, Anders Nyholm 8, Ofer Yaron 7, Mansi M Kasliwal 30, Mark Sullivan 31, Nadja Blagorodnova 30, Richard S Walters 30, Ragnhild Lunnan 30, Danny Khazov 7, Igor Andreoni 32 33 34, Russ R Laher 35, Nick Konidaris 26, Przemek Wozniak 36, Brian Bue 37

Affiliations

Energetic eruptions leading to a peculiar hydrogen-rich explosion of a massive star

Iair Arcavi et al. Nature. 2017.

Abstract

Every supernova so far observed has been considered to be the terminal explosion of a star. Moreover, all supernovae with absorption lines in their spectra show those lines decreasing in velocity over time, as the ejecta expand and thin, revealing slower-moving material that was previously hidden. In addition, every supernova that exhibits the absorption lines of hydrogen has one main light-curve peak, or a plateau in luminosity, lasting approximately 100 days before declining. Here we report observations of iPTF14hls, an event that has spectra identical to a hydrogen-rich core-collapse supernova, but characteristics that differ extensively from those of known supernovae. The light curve has at least five peaks and remains bright for more than 600 days; the absorption lines show little to no decrease in velocity; and the radius of the line-forming region is more than an order of magnitude bigger than the radius of the photosphere derived from the continuum emission. These characteristics are consistent with a shell of several tens of solar masses ejected by the progenitor star at supernova-level energies a few hundred days before a terminal explosion. Another possible eruption was recorded at the same position in 1954. Multiple energetic pre-supernova eruptions are expected to occur in stars of 95 to 130 solar masses, which experience the pulsational pair instability. That model, however, does not account for the continued presence of hydrogen, or the energetics observed here. Another mechanism for the violent ejection of mass in massive stars may be required.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Nature. 2007 Nov 15;450(7168):390-2 - PubMed
    1. Astrophys J. 2017 Feb 1;835(2):null - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources