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Title: THE INTERMEDIATE LUMINOSITY OPTICAL TRANSIENT SN 2010DA: THE PROGENITOR, ERUPTION, AND AFTERMATH OF A PECULIAR SUPERGIANT HIGH-MASS X-RAY BINARY

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal
; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6]
  1. Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
  2. Astrophysical Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 251B Clippinger Lab, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701 (United States)
  3. New York University, Physics department, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States)
  4. Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)
  5. George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A. and M. University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4242 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 (United States)
  6. Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

We present optical spectroscopy, ultraviolet-to-infrared imaging, and X-ray observations of the intermediate luminosity optical transient (ILOT) SN 2010da in NGC 300 ( d = 1.86 Mpc) spanning from −6 to +6 years relative to the time of outburst in 2010. Based on the light-curve and multi-epoch spectral energy distributions of SN 2010da, we conclude that the progenitor of SN 2010da is a ≈10–12 M {sub ⊙} yellow supergiant possibly transitioning into a blue-loop phase. During outburst, SN 2010da had a peak absolute magnitude of M {sub bol} ≲ −10.4 mag, dimmer than other ILOTs and supernova impostors. We detect multi-component hydrogen Balmer, Paschen, and Ca ii emission lines in our high-resolution spectra, which indicate a dusty and complex circumstellar environment. Since the 2010 eruption, the star has brightened by a factor of ≈5 and remains highly variable in the optical. Furthermore, we detect SN 2010da in archival Swift and Chandra observations as an ultraluminous X-ray source ( L {sub X} ≈ 6 × 10{sup 39} erg s{sup −1}). We additionally attribute He ii 4686 Å and coronal Fe emission lines in addition to a steady X-ray luminosity of ≈10{sup 37} erg s{sup −1} to the presence of a compact companion.

OSTI ID:
22667365
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 830, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English