Real-time Detection and Rapid Multiwavelength Follow-up Observations of a Highly Subluminous Type II-P Supernova from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey
Abstract
The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is an optical wide-field variability survey carried out using a camera with a 7.8 deg2 field of view mounted on the 48 inch Oschin Schmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory. One of the key goals of this survey is to conduct high-cadence monitoring of the sky in order to detect optical transient sources shortly after they occur. Here, we describe the real-time capabilities of the PTF and our related rapid multiwavelength follow-up programs, extending from the radio to the γ-ray bands. We present as a case study observations of the optical transient PTF10vdl (SN 2010id), revealed to be a very young core-collapse (Type II-P) supernova having a remarkably low luminosity. Our results demonstrate that the PTF now provides for optical transients the real-time discovery and rapid-response follow-up capabilities previously reserved only for high-energy transients like gamma-ray bursts.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- August 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/736/2/159
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1106.0400
- Bibcode:
- 2011ApJ...736..159G
- Keywords:
-
- supernovae: general;
- supernovae: individual: PTF10vdl;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- ApJ, in press