Swift X-Ray Upper Limits on Type Ia Supernova Environments

Abstract

We have considered 53 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed by the Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT). None of the SNe Ia are individually detected at any time or in stacked images. Using these data and assuming that the SNe Ia are a homogeneous class of objects, we have calculated upper limits to the X- ray luminosity (0.2 - 10 keV) and mass-loss rate of L0.2-10 < 1.7\times1038 erg s-1 and M \cdot < 1.1\times10-6 M\odot yr-1 \times(vw)/(10 km s-1), respectively. The results exclude massive or evolved stars as the companion objects in SNe Ia progenitor systems, but allow the possibility of main sequence or small stars, along with double degenerate systems consisting of two white dwarfs, consistent with results obtained at other wavelengths (e.g., UV, radio) in other studies.

5 pages, 1 figure, 1 table

References in corpus (1)

• Chandra Observations of Type Ia Supernovae: Upper Limits to the X-ray Flux of SN 2002bo, SN 2002ic, SN 2005gj, and SN 2005ke

Cited by in corpus (6)

• No X-rays from the very nearby Type Ia SN2014J: constraints on its environment
• Constraints on the progenitor system and the environs of SN 2014J from deep radio observations
• No trace of a single-degenerate companion in late spectra of SNe 2011fe and 2014J
• Ultraviolet Observations of Super-Chandrasekhar Mass Type Ia Supernova Candidates with Swift UVOT
• Constraints on single-degenerate Chandrasekhar mass progenitors of Type Iax supernovae
• 5.9 keV Mn K-shell X-ray luminosity from the decay of 55Fe in Type Ia supernova models