Photospheric Radius Evolution of Homologous Explosions

Abstract

Recent wide-field surveys discovered new types of peculiar optical transients that showed diverse behaviors of the evolution of photospheric properties. We develop a general theory of homologous explosions with constant opacity, paying special attention on the evolution of the photospheric radius $R_{\mathrm{ph}}$. We find that regardless of the density distribution profile, $R_{\mathrm{ph}}$ always increases early on and decreases at late times. This result does not depend on the radiation and cooling processes inside the ejecta.The general rising/falling behavior of $R_{\mathrm{ph}}$ can be used to quickly diagnose whether the source originates from a supernova-like explosion. The shape of the $R_{\mathrm{ph}}$ evolution curve depends on the density profile, so the observations may be used to directly diagnose the density profile as well as the temperature profile of the ejecta. All the well-monitored supernovae show such a $R_{\mathrm{ph}}$ rising/falling behavior, which is consistent with our theory. The recently discovered peculiar transient AT2018cow showed a continuous decay of $R_{\mathrm{ph}}$, which is disfavored to be of a supernova-like explosion origin. Our result therefore supports the interpretation of this transient as a tidal disruption event.

8 pages, 3 figures, ApJL Accepted

References in corpus (11)

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• Rapidly-Evolving and Luminous Transients from Pan-STARRS1
• The Cow: discovery of a luminous, hot and rapidly evolving transient
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• PTF12os and iPTF13bvn. Two stripped-envelope supernovae from low-mass progenitors in NGC 5806
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• SN 2019ehk: A Double-Peaked Ca-rich Transient with Luminous X-ray Emission and Shock-Ionized Spectral Features
• A Model for Fast Blue Optical Transient AT2018Cow: Circumstellar Interaction of a Pulsational Pair-instability Supernova
• Shocked jets in CCSNe can power the zoo of fast blue optical transients
• Multimessenger Implications of AT2018cow: High-Energy Cosmic Ray and Neutrino Emissions from Magnetar-Powered Super-Luminous Transients
• Magnetar Engines in Fast Blue Optical Transients and Their Connections with SLSNe, SNe Ic-BL, and lGRBs
• A common envelope jets supernova (CEJSN) impostor scenario for fast blue optical transients
• A hot and luminous source at the site of the fast transient AT2018cow at 2-3 years after its explosion
• The Most Rapidly Declining Type I Supernova 2019bkc/ATLAS19dqr
• An environmental analysis of the fast transient AT2018cow and implications for its progenitor and late-time brightness
• On the nature of the unusual transient AT 2018cow from HI observations of its host galaxy
• Magnetar-Driven Shock Breakout Revisited and Implications for Double-Peaked Type I Superluminous Supernovae
• The effects of a magnetar engine on the gamma-ray burst-associated supernovae: Application to double-peaked SN 2006aj
• Magnetar Flare-Driven Bumpy Declining Light Curves in Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernovae
• Neutrino Emission from Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients
• Velocity evolution of broad-lined type-Ic supernovae with and without gamma-ray bursts
• Connection of supernovae 2002ap, 2003gd, 2013ej, and 2019krl in M74 with atomic gas accretion and spiral structure
• Transitional events in the spectrophotometric regime between stripped envelope and superluminous supernovae
• Late-time Hubble Space Telescope Observations of AT 2018cow. I. Further Constraints on the Fading Prompt Emission and Thermal Properties 50--60 Days Post-discovery
• Real-time Discovery of AT2020xnd: A Fast, Luminous Ultraviolet Transient with Minimal Radioactive Ejecta
• SN 2019odp: A Massive Oxygen-Rich Type Ib Supernova
• Terminating a common envelope jets supernova impostor event with a super-Eddington blue supergiant
• Modeling the fast optical transient SN 2019bkc/ATLAS19dqr with a central engine and implication for its origin
• A study on late time UV-emission in core collapse supernovae and the implications for the peculiar transient AT2018cow
• Photosphere Recession and Luminosity of Homologous Explosions Revisited