Supernova SN 2023fyq exhibited long-lasting pre-explosion activity, observations show

A world workforce of astronomers have carried out photometric and spectroscopic observations of a Kind Ibn supernova, often known as SN 2023fyq. Outcomes of the observations marketing campaign, published Might 7 on the pre-print server arXiv, point out that the supernova skilled a long-lasting precursor exercise, together with pre-explosion outbursts.

Supernovae (SNe) are highly effective and luminous stellar explosions. They’re vital for the scientific neighborhood as they provide important clues into the evolution of stars and galaxies. Basically, SNe are divided into two teams primarily based on their atomic spectra: Kind I and Kind II. Kind I SNe lack hydrogen of their spectra, whereas these of Kind II showcase spectral traces of hydrogen.

Kind Ibn supernovae are a subclass of interaction-powered SNe that present slender helium traces of their spectra. Their gentle curves are typically short-lived and a few of them even resemble the evolution of fast-evolving transients.

Found on April 17, 2023 by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), SN 2023fyq is without doubt one of the closest Kind Ibn supernovae. It’s positioned within the close by galaxy NGC 4388, at a distance of about 59 million light years. On June 23, 2023, it skilled a speedy re-brightening and was categorised as a Kind Ibn SN shortly after.

The group of astronomers, led by Yize Dong of the College of California, Davis, has investigated the pre-outburst historical past of SN 2023fyq as they’ve monitored the sphere of this supernova since 2019. By analyzing the collected knowledge with numerous ground-based observatories, they aimed to shed extra gentle on the progenitor of SN 2023fyq.

Dong’s workforce was capable of establish precursor emission from SN 2023fyq as much as round three years forward of the supernova explosion. This emission displays a comparatively speedy rise within the final 100 days earlier than the explosion.

The observations point out that the precursor exercise in SN 2023fyq will be defined by the mass transfer in a binary system consisting of a low-mass (with a mass of two.5–3 solar lots) helium star and a compact companion. The outcomes counsel that between 1,000 and 100 days earlier than the explosion, the helium star expands considerably on the oxygen/neon burning phase, triggering mass switch to its companion. This produced the detected precursor emission.

Moreover, between 100 and 11 days earlier than the explosion, this binary system skilled a shrinkage of its orbit, which elevated the accretion charge onto the companion object and precipitated an increase within the gentle curve. Beginning about 40 days forward of the explosion, the ultimate rise within the light curve is assumed to be doubtless on account of both the core silicon burning or the runaway mass switch brought on by orbital shrinking, which triggered an eruptive mass ejection (of about 0.3 solar masses) with a velocity at a degree of 1,000 km/s.

Summing up the outcomes, the authors of the paper conclude that the ultimate supernova explosion might be both as a result of core-collapse of the helium star or as a result of merger of the helium star with its companion.

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