SN 2009ip: CONSTRAINTS ON THE PROGENITOR MASS-LOSS RATE
- Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics and the Helen Kimmel Center for Planetary Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel)
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanc Latin-Small-Letter-Dotless-I University, Orhanl Latin-Small-Letter-Dotless-I -Tuzla, Istanbul 34956 (Turkey)
- Space Science Office, ZP-12, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States)
- Universities Space Research Association, 6767 Old Madison Pike NW, Suite 450, Huntsville, AL 35806 (United States)
- Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara St, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)
- Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
Some supernovae (SNe) show evidence for mass-loss events taking place prior to their explosions. Measuring their pre-outburst mass-loss rates provides essential information regarding the mechanisms that are responsible for these events. Here we present XMM-Newton and Swift X-ray observations taken after the latest, and presumably the final, outburst of SN 2009ip. We use these observations as well as new near-infrared and visible-light spectra and published radio and visible-light observations to put six independent order-of-magnitude constraints on the mass-loss rate of the SN progenitor prior to the explosion. Our methods utilize the X-ray luminosity, the bound-free absorption, the H{alpha} luminosity, the SN rise time, free-free absorption, and the bolometric luminosity of the outburst detected prior to the explosion. Assuming spherical mass loss with a wind-density profile, we estimate that the effective mass-loss rate from the progenitor was between 10{sup -3} and 10{sup -2} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}, over a few years prior to the explosion, with a velocity of {approx}10{sup 3} km s{sup -1}. This mass-loss rate corresponds to a total circumstellar matter (CSM) mass of {approx}0.04 M{sub Sun }, within 6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} cm of the SN. We note that the mass-loss rate estimate based on the H{alpha} luminosity is higher by an order of magnitude. This can be explained if the narrow-line H{alpha} component is generated at radii larger than the shock radius, or if the CSM has an aspherical geometry. We discuss simple geometries which are consistent with our results.
- OSTI ID:
- 22126837
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 768, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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