The statistical investigation of type Ib/c and II supernovae and their host galaxies

This is a statistical study of the properties of type Ib/c and II supernovae and of the integral parameters of their spiral host galaxies. The methods of one-dimensional and multivariate statistics were applied to the data sample. It was found that the Ib/c supernovae are more concentrated radially toward the centers of the galaxies than those of type II. The distributions of the radial distances R_SN/R₂₅ for the type Ib/c and II supernovae in active galaxies are more concentrated toward the center than in normal galaxies. This effect is stronger for type Ib/c than for type II supernovae. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 89–98 (February 2008).     

Distributions of supernovae of different types along the radius and in <Emphasis Type="Italic">z</Emphasis> coordinate of galaxies

The distributions of supernovae of different types and subtypes along the radius and in z coordinate of galaxies have been studied. We show that among the type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) in spiral galaxies, SNe Iax and Ia-norm have, respectively, the largest and smallest concentration to the center; the distributions of SNe Ia-91bg and Ia-91T are similar. A strong concentration of SNe Ib/c to the central regions has been confirmed. In spiral galaxies, the supernovae of all types strongly concentrate to the galactic plane; the slight differences in scale height correlate with the extent to which the classes of supernovae are associated with star formation.     

Host galaxies of type Ibc supernovae

We draw up a list of type Ib and Ic supernovae and construct the distributions of morphological types, luminosity classes, and axial ratios of their host galaxies, which we compare to similar distributions for type II supernovae. Our analysis reveals no significant statistical differences between these distributions and demonstrates that the samples of host galaxies of SNe Ibc and SNe II can be regarded as drawn from the same parent population.     

The SAI catalog of supernovae and radial distributions of supernovae of various types in galaxies

We describe the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI) catalog of supernovae. We show that the radial distributions of type-Ia, type-Ibc, and type-II supernovae differ in the central parts of spiral galaxies and are similar in their outer regions, while the radial distribution of type-Ia supernovae in elliptical galaxies differs from that in spiral and lenticular galaxies. We give a list of the supernovae that are farthest from the galactic centers, estimate their relative explosion rate, and discuss their possible origins.     

Radial distributions of gamma-ray bursts and type Ib/c supernovae in galaxies

Data on the positions of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in galaxies are used to construct the radial distributions of their surface density. The gradient in GRB surface density is shown to decrease sharply at a galactocentric distance equal to the effective galactic radius. In central galactic regions, the GRB density distribution agrees with the galactic surface-brightness distribution; in outer regions, the GRB density decreases more slowly than does the surface brightness. Based on improved statistics, we analyze the radial distribution of type Ib/c supernovae. We show that it differs insignificantly from the distributions of other types of supernova and exhibits a much closer similarity to the distribution of star-forming regions than do GRBs. Although the statistics for GRBs is poor, the deviation of their distribution from the distribution of active star-forming regions in nearby galaxies seems to have been firmly established. A correlation of GRBs with the distribution of dark matter in outer galactic regions is not ruled out.     

Monte Carlo simulations of supernova light curves and the hypernova SN 1998bw

We propose a method for computing the bolometric light curves of type Ia and Ib/c supernovae based on Monte Carlo simulations of unsteady-state radiative transfer. The method is used to analyze the bolometric light curve of the unusual type Ib/c supernova SN 1998bw associated with GRB 980 425. We show that the previously noted inconsistency in the behavior of simulated light curves at early and late stages, which is attributable to asymmetry effects, can be overcome in a spherically symmetric model. Agreement with observations requires complete ⁵⁶Ni mixing and a higher matter density in the central part of the envelope in the velocity range v<5000 km s^?1 compared to standard models.     

Supernovae with ''super-Hipparcos''

GAIA is the 'super- Hipparcos ' satellite scheduled for launch in 2010 by the European Space Agency. It is a scanning satellite that carries out multi-colour, multi-epoch photometry on all objects brighter than 20th mag. We conduct detailed simulations of supernovae (SNe) detection by GAIA . Supernovae of each type are chosen according to the observed distributions of absolute magnitudes, and located in nearby galaxies according to the local large-scale structure. Using an extinction model of the Galaxy and the scanning law of the GAIA satellite, we calculate how many SNe are detectable as a function of the phase of the light curve. Our study shows that GAIA will report data on ∼21 400 SNe during the five-year mission lifetime, of which ∼14 300 are SNe Ia, ∼1400 are SNe Ib/c and ∼5700 are SNe II. Using the simulations, we estimate that the numbers caught before maximum are ∼6300 SNe Ia, ∼500 SNe Ib/c and ∼1700 SNe II. During the mission lifetime, GAIA will issue about 5 SNe alerts a day.
The most distant SNe accessible to GAIA are at a redshift   z ∼ 0.14  and so GAIA will provide a huge sample of local SNe. There will be many examples of the rarer subluminous events, over-luminous events, SNe Ib/c and SNe II-L. SNe rates will be found as a function of galaxy type, as well as extinction and position in the host galaxy. Amongst other applications, there may be about 26 SNe each year for which detection of gravitational waves is possible and about 180 SNe each year for which detection of gamma-rays is possible. GAIA 's astrometry will provide the SN position to better than milliarcseconds, offering opportunities for the identification of progenitors in nearby galaxies and for studying the spatial distribution of SNe of different types in galaxies.     

Imprints of spiral arms in the oxygen distribution over the galactic disc

A theory for the oxygen abundance radial distribution formation in the galactic disc of a spiral galaxy is developed. We take into account that the main sources of oxygen are Type II supernovae (SN II), the progenitors of which are massive short-lived stars strongly concentrated in the spiral arms. Hence oxygen is the most sensitive indicator of spiral arms' influence on galactic disc enrichment by heavy elements. Various models for the spiral density waves were analysed. We predict that the imprints in the oxygen radial distribution will enable us to distinguish between different models for spiral patterns. Among other parameters, the corotation radius happens to be one of the most important.     

The galactic evolution of the supernova rates

Supernova rates (hypernova, type II, type Ib/c and type Ia) in a particular galaxy depend on the metallicity (i.e. on the galaxy age), on the physics of star formation and on the binary population. In order to study the time evolution of the galactic supernova rates, we use our chemical evolutionary model that accounts in detail for the evolution of single stars and binaries. In particular, supernovae of type Ia are considered to arise from exploding white dwarfs in interacting binaries and we adopt the two most plausible physical models: the single degenerate model and the double degenerate model. Comparison between theoretical prediction and observations of supernova rates in different types of galaxies allows to put constraints on the population of intermediate mass and massive close binaries.

The temporal evolution of the absolute galactic rates of different types of supernovae (including the type Ia rate) is presented in such a way that the results can be directly implemented into a galactic chemical evolutionary model. Particularly for type Ia’s the inclusion of binary evolution leads to results considerably different from those in earlier population synthesis approaches, in which binary evolution was not included in detail.     

Star formation rates and the kinematics of gas in the spiral arms of NGC 628

The relations between star formation rates along the spiral arms and the velocities of gas inflow into the arms in the grand‐design galaxy NGC 628 were studied. We found that the radial distribution of the average star formation rate in individual star formation regions in regular spiral arms correlates with the velocity of gas inflow into the spiral arms. Both distributions have maxima at a galactocentric distance of 4.5–5 kpc. There are no correlations between the radial distributions of the average star formation rate in star formation regions in spiral arms and outside spiral arms in the main disc. We also did not find a correlation between the radial distribution of the average star formation rate in star formation regions in spiral arms and the H I column density. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Stellar forensics with the supernova‐GRB connection – Ludwig Biermann Award Lecture 2010

Long‐duration gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs) and type Ib/c supernovae (SNe Ib/c) are amongst nature's most magnificent explosions. While GRBs launch relativistic jets, SNe Ib/c are core‐collapse explosions whose progenitors have been stripped of their hydrogen and helium envelopes. Yet for over a decade, one of the key outstanding questions is what conditions lead to each kind of explosion in massive stars. Determining the fates of massive stars is not only a vibrant topic in itself, but also impacts using GRBs as star formation indicators over distances up to 13 billion light‐years and for mapping the chemical enrichment history of the universe. This article reviews a number of comprehensive observational studies that probe the progenitor environments, their metallicities and the explosion geometries of SN with and without GRBs, as well as the emerging field of SN environmental studies. Furthermore, it discusses SN2008D/XRT 080109 which was discovered serendipitously with the Swift satellite via its X‐ray emission from shock breakout and which generated great interest amongst both observers and theorists while illustrating a novel technique for stellar forensics. The article concludes with an outlook on how the most promising venues of research – with the many existing and upcoming large‐scale surveys such as PTF and LSST – will shed new light on the diverse deaths of massive stars (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Extragalactic binaries as core-collapse supernova progenitors

Binary star systems are likely the progenitors of many core-collapse (Type II, Type Ib/c) supernovae (SNe). We present observational investigations using ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging and radio monitoring of SNe and their environments, which either indicate or attempt to constrain the possible binary nature of the SN progenitors. For example, from radio observations with the Very Large Array of the Type II-linear SN 1979C in M100 we conclude that the progenitor was possibly in a massive, highly eccentric binary, similar to the VV Cephei systems. The Type IIb SN 1993J in M81 is presumed to have a massive progenitor in an interacting binary system, and from Hubble imaging we cannot yet constrain the nature of the presumed massive, blue companion. We will present additional results for other Type Ib/c and II SNe.     

Nucleosynthesis and Stellar Evolution

Two of the basic building blocks of galaxies are stars and the interstellar medium. The evolution of the abundance composition in the latter and especially the enrichment of heavy elements as a function of space and time reflects in turn the history of star formation and the lifetimes of the diverse contributing stellar objects. Therefore, the understanding of stellar evolution and its endpoints (mainly planetary nebulae, supernovae of type Ia and type II/Ib/Ic) is essential. Despite many efforts, a full and self-consistent understanding of supernovae (the main contributors to nucleosynthesis in galaxies) is not existing, yet. However, they leave fingerprints, seen either in spectra, lightcurves, radioactivities/decay gamma-rays or in galactic evolution. Here we want to address the composition of ejecta, their model uncertainties and relate them to constraints from abundance observations in galactic evolution. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Studying the SN‐GRB connection with X‐shooter: The GRB 100316D / SN 2010bh case

During the last ten years, observations of long‐duration gamma‐ray bursts brought to the conclusion that at least a fraction of them is associated with bright supernovae of type Ib/c. In this talk, after a short review on the previously observed GRB‐SN connection cases, we present the recent case of GRB 100316/SN 2010bh. In particular, during the observational campaign of SN 2010bh, a pivotal role was played by VLT/X‐shooter, sampling with unique high quality data the spectral energy distribution of the early evolution phases from the UV to the K band (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On core-collapse supernovae in normal and in Seyfert galaxies

This paper estimates the relative frequency of different types of core-collapse supernovae, in terms of the ratio between the number of Type Ib–Ic and of Type II supernovae. We estimate independently for all normal and Seyfert galaxies whose radial velocity is ≤14 000 km s⁻¹, and which had at least one supernova event recorded in the Asiago catalogue from 1986 January to 2000 August. We find that the ratio is  ≈0.23±0.05  in normal galaxies. This value is consistent with constant star formation rate and with a Salpeter initial mass function and an average binary rate ≈50 per cent. On the contrary, Seyfert galaxies exceed the ratio in normal galaxies by a factor ≈4 at a confidence level ≳2 σ . A caveat is that the numbers for Seyferts are still small (six of Type Ib–Ic and six of Type II supernovae discovered as yet). Assumed to be real, this excess of Type Ib/c supernovae may indicate a burst of low-age star formation  ( τ ≲20 Myr)  , a high incidence of binary systems in the inner regions  ( r ≲0.4 R ₂₅)  of Seyfert galaxies, or a top-loaded mass function.     

A comparative study of type I and type II supernovae

Revised photometric data are used to compare the light and colour curves of type I and type II supernovae (SNe I, SNe II); their statistical properties are also compared. No significant difference between SNe I and SNe II has been found in their radial distribution and frequency of outbursts in spiral galaxies. The comparison of light and colour curves reveals several features common to both types and the possibility of transition between types.     

Stellar nucleosynthetic contribution of extinct short‐lived nuclei in the early solar system and the associated isotopic effects

Abstract— A wide range of stellar nucleosynthetic sources has been analyzed to derive their contributions of short‐lived and stable nuclei to the presolar cloud. This detailed study is required to infer the most plausible source(s) of short‐lived nuclei through a critical comparison among the various stellar sources that include AGB stars, novae, supernovae II, Ia, and Wolf‐Rayet stars that evolved to supernovae Ib/c. In order to produce the canonical value of ²⁶Al/²⁷Al in the early solar system, almost all stellar sources except low‐mass AGB stars imply large isotopic anomalies in Ca‐Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs). This is contrary to the observed isotopic compositions of CAIs. The discrepancy could impose stringent constraints on the formation and thermal evolution of CAIs from different chondrites. Among the various stellar scenarios, the injection of short‐lived nuclei into the previously formed solar protoplanetary disc by a massive star of an ad hoc chosen high‐injection mass cut is a possible scenario. There is a possibility of the contribution of short‐lived nuclides by a 1.5–3 M_⊙ AGB star as it implies the smallest shift in stable isotopes. A low‐mass AGB star of relatively low metallicity would be even a better source of short‐lived nuclei. However, this scenario would require independent gravitational collapse of the presolar cloud coupled with ambipolar diffusion of magnetic flux. Alternatively, numerous scenarios can be postulated that involve distant (≥10 pc) massive stars can contribute ⁶⁰Fe to the presolar cloud and can trigger its gravitational collapse. These scenarios would require production of ²⁶Al and ⁴¹Ca by irradiation in the early solar system. Significant production of ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Fe can be explained if massive, rotating Wolf‐Rayet stars that evolved to supernovae Ib/c were involved.     

Maintenance of spiral arms and galactic magnetic field configurations

Of the various proposed mechanisms to maintain spiral arms in spiral galaxies, three have been supported by observations, statistics, or theories (bar, companion, extended solid-body rotation curve). It is shown here that in the presence of a central bar or oval distirtion to maintain spiral arms, the global magnetic field lines also follow the spiral shape of the arms. Excluding then barred galaxies, it is confirmed that in the presence of a companion galaxy to maintain spiral arms, the global magnetic lines in a spiral galaxy will either follow thespiral shape of the arms (when tides are larger), or else will follow thering shape of the orbit of matter crossing spiral arms (when tides are small). In the presence of an extended solid-body rotation curve to maintain spiral arms within the solid-body rotation region, the global magnetic field lines also follow the spiral shape of the arms.The results above do not favour the hypothesis that a weak intergalactic magnetic field could have been amplified enough by gravitational contraction of a protogalaxy to give rise to the observed strength of galactic magnetic fields. On the contrary, leakage of galactic magnetic fields into intergalactic/cosmological space is expected.     

Simulations of spiral galaxies with an active potential: molecular cloud formation and gas dynamics

We describe simulations of the response of a gaseous disc to an active spiral potential. The potential is derived from an N -body calculation and leads to a multi-armed time-evolving pattern. The gas forms long spiral arms typical of grand-design galaxies, although the spiral pattern is asymmetric. The primary difference from a grand-design spiral galaxy, which has a consistent two-/four-armed pattern, is that instead of passing through the spiral arms, gas generally falls into a developing potential minimum and is released only when the local minimum dissolves. In this case, the densest gas is coincident with the spiral potential, rather than offset as in the grand-design spirals. We would therefore expect no offset between the spiral shock and star formation, and no obvious corotation radius. Spurs which occur in grand-design spirals when large clumps are sheared off leaving the spiral arms, are rare in the active, time-evolving spiral reported here. Instead, large branches are formed from spiral arms when the underlying spiral potential is dissolving due to the N -body dynamics. We find that the molecular cloud mass spectrum for the active potential is similar to that for clouds in grand-design calculations, depending primarily on the ambient pressure rather than the nature of the potential. The largest molecular clouds occur when spiral arms collide, rather than by agglomeration within a spiral arm.