The Detection of a Light Echo from Type Ia SN 2007af in NGC 5584
Abstract
We report the discovery of a light echo (LE) at t ~1000 days past maximum from the normal Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) SN 2007af in the spiral galaxy NGC 5584. The presence of a LE is supported by photometric data and analysis of the images acquired during the Cepheid campaign using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (Riess et al. 2011). The F350 and F555 images show a distinct ring-like structure with an additional central source. The images, taken months apart, show an evolution of the ring structure, which is consistent with a growing light echo in time. We find an angular radius of the outer echo to be ~0.29'' - 0.36''. Using the Cepheid distance to NGC 5584 of 24 Mpc, we find the dust illuminated by the light echo to be at a distance ~800 pc from the supernova. This rare discovery adds to the select few light echoes found in Type Ia SNe: SN 1572, SN 1991T, SN 1995E, SN 1998bu, and SN 2006X. Light echoes are powerful tools that probe the environment around supernovae, determine dust properties and characteristics, and could provide constraints on the progenitors, which are not fully understood for SN Ia.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- June 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AAS...22211804D