The Curious Case of SN 2011dn: Was It A Peculiar Type Ia Supernova?
Abstract
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are excellent cosmological distance indicators due to the uniformity in their light curves. This led to the major discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe (Riess et al. 1998, Perlmutter et al. 1999). However, SNe Ia are not so uniform as one may expect, as there are many ‘peculiar’ SNe Ia that exhibit differences in photometry and spectroscopy from normal SNe Ia. One of the goals of supernova cosmology today is to produce a cleaner sample of SNe Ia by removing the peculiar SNe Ia from the sample. A useful parameter for identifying peculiar SNe Ia based on photometry is Δm15(B), which measures the decrease in B-band magnitude 15 days after the peak of the light curve (Phillips et al. 1993). For typical SNe Ia the standard value is Δm15(B) = 1.1. Peculiar SNe Ia of the overluminous type show a slower decline, with its prototypical member SN 1991T having Δm15(B) = 0.80 (Hicken et al. 2009), while peculiar SNe Ia of the subluminous type show a faster decline, with its prototypical member SN 1991bg having Δm15(B) = 1.87 (Hicken et al. 2009). Here we present optical photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2011dn, which were obtained as part of the MOunt LAguna SUpernova Survey (MOLASUS). Based on its pre-maximum spectrum, which showed strong absorption lines of Fe III λ4404 and Fe III λ5129, along with a weak Si II λ6355 absorption line, SN 2011dn was classified as a SN 1991T-like event (Koff et al. 2011). However, in an earlier preliminary analysis of the light curves - based on point-spread-function photometry - we proposed that SN 2011dn might have had a higher than expected Δm15(B) value of 1.08 (Salvo et al. 2012). Since SN 2011dn is embedded in its host galaxy UGC 11501, it is possible that some of the light from the host galaxy was measured, which may have influenced the measured Δm15(B) value. Here, we employ galaxy-subtraction techniques to isolate the supernova light from its host galaxy, and generate more precise light curves. We derive an updated value of Δm15(B), in order to verify or refute the claimed peculiarity of SN 2011dn. We acknowledge support from NSF grants AST-0850564, AST-1009571 and AST-1210311, under which part of this research was carried out.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #224
- Pub Date:
- June 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014AAS...22412119R