The Peculiar Type Ib Supernova 2006jc: A WCO Wolf-Rayet Star Explosion

Abstract

We present a theoretical model for Type Ib supernova (SN) 2006jc. We calculate the evolution of the progenitor star, hydrodynamics and nucleosynthesis of the SN explosion, and the SN bolometric light curve (LC). The synthetic bolometric LC is compared with the observed bolometric LC constructed by integrating the UV, optical, near-infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared (MIR) fluxes. The progenitor is assumed to be as massive as $40M_{\odot }$ on the zero-age main-sequence. The star undergoes extensive mass loss to reduce its mass down to as small as $6.9M_{\odot }$, thus becoming a WCO Wolf-Rayet star. The WCO star model has a thick carbon-rich layer, in which amorphous carbon grains can be formed. This could explain the NIR brightening and the dust feature seen in the MIR spectrum. We suggest that the progenitor of SN 2006jc is a WCO Wolf-Rayet star having undergone strong mass loss and such massive stars are the important sites of dust formation. We derive the parameters of the explosion model in order to reproduce the bolometric LC of SN 2006jc by the radioactive decays: the ejecta mass $4.9M_{\odot }$, hypernova-like explosion energy $10^{52}$ ergs, and ejected ${}^{56}$Ni mass $0.22M_{\odot }$. We also calculate the circumstellar interaction and find that a CSM with a flat density structure is required to reproduce the X-ray LC of SN 2006jc. This suggests a drastic change of the mass-loss rate and/or the wind velocity that is consistent with the past luminous blue variable (LBV)-like event.

12 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (11)

• Theory of Core-Collapse Supernovae
• A giant outburst two years before the core-collapse of a massive star
• SN 2006jc: A Wolf-Rayet Star Exploding in a Dense He-Rich Circumstellar Medium
• Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium III. SN 2006jc: IR echoes from new and old dust in the progenitor CSM
• The Connection between Gamma-Ray Bursts and Extremely Metal-Poor Stars: Black Hole-forming Supernovae with Relativistic Jets
• Aspherical Properties of Hydrodynamics and Nucleosynthesis in Jet-induced Supernovae
• Swift and Chandra Detections of Supernova 2006jc: Evidence for Interaction of the Supernova Shock with a Circumstellar Shell
• SN 2006aj Associated with XRF 060218 At Late Phases: Nucleosynthesis-Signature of A Neutron Star-Driven Explosion
• Early Formation of Dust in the Ejecta of Type Ib SN 2006jc and Temperature and Mass of the Dust
• Properties of newly formed dust by SN2006jc based on near-to-mid infrared observation with AKARI
• Near-Infrared observations of the type Ib Supernova SN2006jc: evidence of interactions with dust

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium. I. Type Ibn (SN 2006jc-like) events
• Properties of newly formed dust by SN2006jc based on near-to-mid infrared observation with AKARI
• Optical photometry and spectroscopy of the type Ibn supernova SN 2006jc until the onset of dust formation