TYPE IIn SUPERNOVA SN 2010jl: OPTICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR OVER 500 DAYS AFTER EXPLOSION
- National Astronomical Observatories of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)
- Physics Department and Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics (THCA), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
- Center for Astrophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96, JinZhai Road Baohe District, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)
- Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008 (China)
- Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) (France)
We present extensive optical observations of a Type IIn supernova (SN IIn) 2010jl for the first 1.5 years after its discovery. The UBVRI light curves demonstrated an interesting two-stage evolution during the nebular phase, which almost flatten out after about 90 days from the optical maximum. SN 2010jl has one of the highest intrinsic H{alpha} luminosities ever recorded for an SN IIn, especially at late phase, suggesting a strong interaction of SN ejecta with the dense circumstellar material (CSM) ejected by the progenitor. This is also indicated by the remarkably strong Balmer lines persisting in the optical spectra. One interesting spectral evolution about SN 2010jl is the appearance of asymmetry of the Balmer lines. These lines can be well decomposed into a narrow component and an intermediate-width component. The intermediate-width component showed a steady increase in both strength and blueshift with time until t {approx} 400 days after maximum, but it became less blueshifted at t {approx} 500 days, when the line profile appeared relatively symmetric again. Owing to the fact that a pure reddening effect will lead to a sudden decline of the light curves and a progressive blueshift of the spectral lines, we therefore propose that the asymmetric profiles of H lines seen in SN 2010jl are unlikely due to the extinction by newly formed dust inside the ejecta, contrary to the explanation by some early studies. Based on a simple CSM-interaction model, we speculate that the progenitor of SN 2010jl may suffer a gigantic mass loss ({approx}30-50 M{sub Sun }) a few decades before explosion. Considering a slow-moving stellar wind (e.g., {approx}28 km s{sup -1}) inferred for the preexisting, dense CSM shell and the extremely high mass-loss rate (1-2 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}), we suggest that the progenitor of SN 2010jl might have experienced a red supergiant stage and may explode finally as a post-red supergiant star with an initial mass above 30-40 M{sub Sun }.
- OSTI ID:
- 22089827
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 144, Issue 5; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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