Radio Supernovae as Distance Indicators

Abstract

Long-term monitoring of the radio emission from supernovae with the Very Large Array (VLA) shows that the radio ``light curves'' evolve in a systematic fashion with a distinct peak flux density (and thus, in combination with a distance, a peak spectral luminosity) at each frequency and a well-defined time from explosion to that peak. Studying these two quantities at 6 cm wavelength, peak spectral luminosity (L_{6 cm peak}) and time after explosion date (t_0) to reach that peak (t_{6 cm peak} - t_0), we find that they appear related. In particular, based on two objects, Type Ib supernovae may be approximate radio ``standard candles'' with a 6 cm peak luminosity L_{6 cm peak} \approx 19.9 X 10^{26} erg s^{-1} Hz^{-1}; also based on two objects, Type Ic supernovae may be approximate radio ``standard candles'' with a 6 cm peak luminosity L_{6 cm peak} \approx 6.5 X 10^{26} erg s^{-1} Hz^{-1}; and, based on twelve objects, Type II supernovae appear to obey a relation L_{6 cm peak} \simeq 5.5 X 10^{23} (t_{6 cm peak} - t_0)^{1.4} erg s^{-1} Hz^{-1}, with time measured in days. If these relations are supported by further observations, they provide a means for determining distances to supernovae, and thus to their parent galaxies, from purely radio continuum observations.

31 pages, including 3 PostScript figures. To appear in the Astrophysical Journal (1998 June 10 issue)

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