Asphericity, Interaction, and Dust in the Type II-P/II-L Supernova 2013ej in Messier 74

Abstract

SN 2013ej is a well-studied core-collapse supernova (SN) that stemmed from a directly identified red supergiant (RSG) progenitor in galaxy M74. The source exhibits signs of substantial geometric asphericity, X-rays from persistent interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), thermal emission from warm dust, and a light curve that appears intermediate between supernovae of Types II-P and II-L. The proximity of this source motivates a close inspection of these physical characteristics and their potential interconnection. We present multi-epoch spectropolarimetry of SN 2013ej during the first 107 days, and deep optical spectroscopy and ultraviolet through infrared photometry past ~800 days. SN 2013ej exhibits the strongest and most persistent continuum and line polarization ever observed for a SN of its class during the recombination phase. Modeling indicates that the data are consistent with an oblate ellipsoidal photosphere, viewed nearly edge-on, and probably augmented by optical scattering from circumstellar dust. We suggest that interaction with an equatorial distribution of CSM, perhaps the result of binary evolution, is responsible for generating the photospheric asphericity. Relatedly, our late-time optical imaging and spectroscopy shows that asymmetric CSM interaction is ongoing, and the morphology of broad H-alpha emission from shock-excited ejecta provides additional evidence that the geometry of the interaction region is ellipsoidal. Alternatively, a prolate ellipsoidal geometry from an intrinsically bipolar explosion is also a plausible interpretation of the data, but would probably require a ballistic jet of radioactive material capable of penetrating the hydrogen envelope early in the recombination phase (abridged).

arXiv commentPost-proof edit. Accepted to ApJ on Nov. 23 2016; 21 pages, 16 figures

References in corpus (56)

• Measuring Reddening with SDSS Stellar Spectra and Recalibrating SFD
• The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) for the Spitzer Space Telescope
• Progenitors of core-collapse supernovae
• The Photometric Performance and Calibration of the HST Advanced Camera For Surveys
• WISeREP - An Interactive Supernova Data Repository
• Spectropolarimetry of Supernovae
• Characterizing the V-band light-curves of hydrogen-rich type II supernovae
• The incidence of stellar mergers and mass gainers among massive stars
• The diversity of Type II supernova versus the similarity in their progenitors
• Evidence for Asphericity in the Type IIn Supernova 1998S
• Optical Photometry and Spectroscopy of the SN 1998bw-like Type Ic Supernova 2002ap
• A Million-Second Chandra View of Cassiopeia A
• Detailed Analysis of Early to Late-Time Spectra of Supernova 1993J
• Towards Characterization of the Type IIP Supernova Progenitor Population: a Statistical Sample of Light Curves from Pan-STARRS1
• Dust and the type II-plateau supernova 2004et
• The first month of evolution of the slow rising type II-P SN 2013ej in M74
• A non-spherical core in the explosion of supernova SN 2004dj
• Photometric and spectroscopic evolution of the type IIP supernova SN 2004et
• Photometric and Spectroscopic Properties of Type II-P Supernovae
• Analysis of the Flux and Polarization Spectra of the Type Ia Supernova SN 2001el: Exploring the Geometry of the High-velocity Ejecta
• On the source of the late-time infrared luminosity of SN 1998S and other type II supernovae
• PTF11iqb: Cool supergiant mass loss that bridges the gap between Type IIn and normal supernovae
• Is it Round? Spectropolarimetry of the Type II-P Supernova 1999em
• A Spitzer Survey for Dust in Type IIn Supernovae
• Optical Signatures of Circumstellar Interaction in Type IIP Supernovae
• SN 2007od: A Type IIP SN with Circumstellar Interaction
• Spectropolarimetry of the Type Ic SN 2002ap in M74: More Evidence for Asymmetric Core Collapse
• The Type IIb SN 2011dh - Two years of observations and modelling of the lightcurves
• On the Progenitor of the Type II Supernova 2004et in NGC 6946
• Supernova 2012aw - a high-energy clone of archetypal type IIP SN 1999em
• Late-Time Optical Emission From Core-Collapse Supernovae
• Multi-epoch spectropolarimetry of SN 2009ip: direct evidence for aspherical circumstellar material
• The Type IIP SN 2007od in UGC 12846: from a bright maximum to dust formation in the nebular phase
• Optical Spectropolarimetry of SN 2002ap: High Velocity Asymmetric Explosion
• The bright Type IIP SN 2009bw, showing signs of interaction
• Aspherical Core-Collapse Supernovae in Red Supergiants Powered by Nonrelativistic Jets
• A comparative study of Type II-P and II-L supernova rise times as exemplified by the case of LSQ13cuw
• 450 Days of Type II SN 2013ej in Optical and Near-Infrared
• Photospheric-Phase Spectropolarimetry and Nebular-Phase Spectroscopy of the Peculiar Type Ic Supernova 2002ap
• Analysis of the Polarization and Flux Spectra of SN1993J
• The Dual-Axis Circumstellar Environment of the Type IIn Supernova 1997eg
• The close circumstellar environment of Betelgeuse - II. Diffraction-limited spectro-imaging from 7.76 to 19.50 microns with VLT/VISIR
• On the progenitor of the Type IIP SN 2013ej in M74
• Supernova 1998S at 14 years Postmortem: Continuing Circumstellar Interaction and Dust Formation
• Extensive Spectroscopy and Photometry of the Type IIP Supernova 2013ej
• Spectropolarimetry of the Type IIb Supernova 2001ig
• Synthetic line and continuum linear-polarisation signatures of axisymmetric type II supernova ejecta
• Probing the Geometry and Circumstellar Environment of SN 1993J in M81
• Extraordinary Late-Time Infrared Emission of Type IIn Supernovae
• Large Late-time Asphericities in Three Type IIP Supernovae
• Probing Final Stages of Stellar Evolution with X-Ray Observations of SN 2013ej
• Asymmetry of ${}^{56}$Ni ejecta and polarization in type IIP supernova 2004dj
• The close circumstellar environment of Betelgeuse - III. SPHERE/ZIMPOL visible polarimetry of the inner envelope and photosphere
• Broad band polarimetric investigation of Type IIP supernova 2013ej
• The Mid-Infrared Light Curve of Nearby Core-Collapse Supernova SN2011dh (PTF11eon)
• Imaging the outward motions of clumpy dust clouds around the red supergiant Antares with VLT/VISIR

Cited by in corpus (55)

• Measuring the Progenitor Masses and Dense Circumstellar Material of Type II Supernovae
• Strong late-time circumstellar interaction in the peculiar supernova iPTF14hls
• On the photometric and spectroscopic diversity of Type II supernovae
• The Berkeley sample of Type II supernovae: BVRI light curves and spectroscopy of 55 SNe II
• Connecting the progenitors, pre-explosion variability, and giant outbursts of luminous blue variables with Gaia16cfr
• Magnetar-powered superluminous supernovae must first be exploded by jets
• A Comprehensive Analysis of Spitzer Supernovae
• Observed Type II supernova colours from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I
• Anomaly Detection in the Open Supernova Catalog
• Optical and IR observations of SN 2013L, a Type IIn Supernova surrounded by asymmetric CSM
• The imprints of the last jets in core collapse supernovae
• Three-Dimensional Explosion Geometry of Stripped-Envelope Core-Collapse Supernovae. II. Modelling of Polarization
• High-resolution spectroscopy of SN 2017hcc and its blueshifted line profiles from post-shock dust formation
• Supernova 2017eaw: molecule and dust formation from infrared observations
• Photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic studies of the luminous, slow-decaying Type Ib SN 2012au
• Detection of Late-Time Circumstellar Interaction of SN 2017eaw in NGC 6946
• The aspherical explosion of the Type IIP SN 2017gmr
• SN2012ab: A Peculiar Type IIn Supernova with Aspherical Circumstellar Material
• Luminous type IIP SN 2013ej with high-velocity Ni-56 ejecta
• The disappearances of six supernova progenitors
• SN 2018gjx reveals that some SNe Ibn are SNe IIb exploding in dense circumstellar material
• Discovery and Rapid Follow-up Observations of the Unusual Type II SN 2018ivc in NGC 1068
• On the observational behaviour of the highly polarized Type IIn supernova SN 2017hcc
• Reviving the stalled shock by jittering jets in core collapse supernovae: jets from the standing accretion shock instability
• The two promising scenarios to explode core collapse supernovae
• Supernova explosions interacting with aspherical circumstellar material: implications for light curves, spectral line profiles, and polarization
• The Transition of a Type IIL Supernova into a Supernova Remnant: Late-time Observations of SN 2013by
• Emission peaks in the light curve of core collapse supernovae by late jets
• Evidence for multiple origins of fast declining Type II supernovae from spectropolarimetry of SN 2013ej and SN 2017ahn
• Multiepoch VLT-FORS spectro-polarimetric observations of supernova 2012aw reveal an asymmetric explosion
• The magnetar model of the superluminous supernova GAIA16apd and the explosion jet feedback mechanism (JFM)
• Resolving the puzzle of type IIP SN 2016X
• The Late Time Optical Evolution of Twelve Core-Collapse Supernovae: Detection of Normal Stellar Winds
• Dust Production in a Thin Dense Shell in Supernovae with Early Circumstellar Interactions
• Amplifying magnetic fields of a newly born neutron star by stochastic angular momentum accretion in core collapse supernovae
• SN 2016esw: a luminous Type II supernova observed within the first day after the explosion
• Polarization as a probe of dusty environments around Type Ia supernovae: radiative transfer models for SN 2012dn
• Jet-shaped geometrically modified light curves of core collapse supernovae
• Luminous Type II Short-Plateau SN 2023ufx: Asymmetric Explosion of a Partially-Stripped Massive Progenitor
• Constraining early-time dust formation in core-collapse supernovae
• Circumstellar Light Echo as a Possible Origin of the Polarization of Type IIP Supernovae
• Simulating the inflation of bubbles by late jets in core collapse supernova ejecta
• One Year of SN 2023ixf: Breaking Through the Degenerate Parameter Space in Light-Curve Models with Pulsating Progenitors
• A Snapshot Survey of Nearby Supernovae with the Hubble Space Telescope
• Connection of supernovae 2002ap, 2003gd, 2013ej, and 2019krl in M74 with atomic gas accretion and spiral structure
• Storing magnetic fields in pre-collapse cores of massive stars
• Feeding post core collapse supernova explosion jets with an inflated main sequence companion
• SN 2016B a.k.a ASASSN-16ab: a transitional type II supernova
• The Effects of Circumstellar Dust Scattering on the Light Curves and Polarizations of Type Ia Supernovae
• The bright, dusty aftermath of giant eruptions & H-rich supernovae. Late interaction of supernova shocks & dusty circumstellar shells
• Modelling light curves of bipolar core collapse supernovae from the equatorial plane
• Luminous, rapidly declining supernovae as stripped transitional objects in low metallicity environments: the case of SN 2022lxg
• The rotational shear in pre-collapse cores of massive stars
• SN 2023ixf: interaction signatures in the spectrum at 445 days
• A High-Velocity Scatterer Revealed in the Thinning Ejecta of a Type II Supernova