Intermediate-luminosity red transients: Spectrophotometric properties and connection to electron-capture supernova explosions
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 654, pp. A157
Abstract
We present the spectroscopic and photometric study of five intermediate-luminosity red transients (ILRTs), namely AT 2010dn, AT 2012jc, AT 2013la, AT 2013lb, and AT 2018aes. They share common observational properties and belong to a family of objects similar to the prototypical ILRT SN 2008S. These events have a rise time that is less than 15 days and absolute peak magnitudes of between −11.5 and −14.5 mag. Their pseudo-bolometric light curves peak in the range 0.5–9.0 × 1040 erg s−1 and their total radiated energies are on the order of (0.3–3) × 1047 erg. After maximum brightness, the light curves show a monotonic decline or a plateau, resembling those of faint supernovae IIL or IIP, respectively. At late phases, the light curves flatten, roughly following the slope of the 56Co decay. If the late-time power source is indeed radioactive decay, these transients produce 56Ni masses on the order of 10−4 to 10−3 M⊙. The spectral energy distribution of our ILRT sample, extending from the optical to the mid-infrared (MIR) domain, reveals a clear IR excess soon after explosion and non-negligible MIR emission at very late phases. The spectra show prominent H lines in emission with a typical velocity of a few hundred km s−1, along with Ca II features. In particular, the [Ca II] λ7291,7324 doublet is visible at all times, which is a characteristic feature for this family of transients. The identified progenitor of SN 2008S, which is luminous in archival Spitzer MIR images, suggests an intermediate-mass precursor star embedded in a dusty cocoon. We propose the explosion of a super-asymptotic giant branch star forming an electron-capture supernova as a plausible explanation for these events.
Authors 58
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University of Padua · Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics · Tsinghua University
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Physics Department and Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics (THCA), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 2, 35122 Padova, Italy
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Affiliation as printed
School of Physics, O’Brien Centre for Science North, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello 16, 80131 Napoli, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Institute of Space Sciences · Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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Chinese Academy of Sciences · National Astronomical Observatories
Affiliation as printed
CAS Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, CAS, Beijing 100101, PR China
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Universidad Andrés Bello · Millennium Institute of Astrophysics · Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
Departamento de Ciencias Fisicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Fernandez Concha 700, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), Nuncio Monsenor Sòtero Sanz 100, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Affiliation as printed
Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland, UK
Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Affiliation as printed
Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 2680 Woodlawn Dr. Hawai’i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Telescopio Nazionale Galileo · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, Fundación Galileo Galilei – INAF, Rambla José Ana Fernández Pérez, 7, 38712 Breña Baja, TF, Spain
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics · Liverpool John Moores University
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Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, IC2, Liverpool Science Park, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild Str. 1, 85741 Garching, Germany
Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Applied Physics, University of Cádiz, Campus of Puerto Real, 11510 Cádiz, Spain
Universidad de Cádiz, Cadiz, Spain
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University of Padua · Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 2, 35122 Padova, Italy
University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Universidad Andrés Bello · Millennium Institute of Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
Departamento de Ciencias Fisicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Fernandez Concha 700, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), Nuncio Monsenor Sòtero Sanz 100, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
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Affiliation as printed
School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241002, PR China
Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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University of California, Davis
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Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-5270, USA
University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
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University of Padua · Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 2, 35122 Padova, Italy
University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Affiliation as printed
NAOC-UKZN Computational Astrophysics Centre (NUCAC), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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Beijing Planetarium · Beijing Academy of Science and Technology · Tsinghua University
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Beijing Planetarium, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing 100044, PR China
Physics Department and Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics (THCA), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Affiliation as printed
School of Physics, O’Brien Centre for Science North, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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G. Cannizzaro Aachen Netherlands Institute for Space Research SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
Radboud University Nijmegen · Space Research Organisation Netherlands
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Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University, PO Box 9010 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan, 2, 3584CA Utrecht, The Netherlands
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
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Physics Department, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Affiliation as printed
Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Camino del Observatorio 1515, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile
University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Institute of Space Sciences · Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans, s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory
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Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, 150 Science-1 Street, Urumqi 830011, PR China
Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Ürümqi, China
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Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warszawa, Poland
University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Department of Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
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Itagaki Astronomical Observatory, Yamagata, Yamagata 990-2492, Japan
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Z. Kostrzewa-Rutkowska Aachen Leiden Observatory Netherlands Institute for Space Research SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
Leiden University · Leiden Observatory · Space Research Organisation Netherlands
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Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands
SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan, 2, 3584CA Utrecht, The Netherlands
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, Netherlands
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School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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International Gemini Observatory
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Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile
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Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Collurania Teramo Observatory · National Institute for Astrophysics
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INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo, via M. Maggini snc, 64100 Teramo, Italy
National Institute for Astrophysics, Rome, Italy
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland, UK
Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Affiliation as printed
Xingming Observatory, Mount Nanshan, Xinjiang, PR China
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Affiliation as printed
Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland, UK
Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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