On the Spectrum and Nature of the Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 1991T

Abstract

A parameterized supernova synthetic-spectrum code is used to study line identifications in the photospheric-phase spectra of the peculiar Type Ia SN 1991T, and to extract some constraints on the composition structure of the ejected matter. The inferred composition structure is not like that of any hydrodynamical model for Type Ia supernovae. Evidence that SN 1991T was overluminous for an SN Ia is presented, and it is suggested that this peculiar event probably was a substantially super-Chandrasekhar explosion that resulted from the merger of two white dwarfs.

arXiv comment1 text, 7 figures, submitted to MNRAS

References in corpus (5)

• Explosion Models for Type Ia Supernovae: A Comparison with Observed Light Curves, distances, H_o and q_o
• Optical Light Curves of the Type Ia Supernovae 1990N and 1991T
• Nebular velocities in type Ia Supernovae and their relationship to light curves
• SN~1991T: Reflections of Past Glory
• The Brightness Distribution of Bursting Sources in Relativistic Cosmologies

Cited by in corpus (63)

• Type Ia Supernova Explosion Models
• The type Ia supernova SNLS-03D3bb from a super-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf star
• From Shock Breakout to Peak and Beyond: Extensive Panchromatic Observations of the Type Ib Supernova 2008D associated with Swift X-ray Transient 080109
• Comparative Direct Analysis of Type Ia Supernova Spectra. II. Maximum Light
• The Luminous and Carbon-Rich Supernova 2006gz: A Double Degenerate Merger?
• Infrared Spectra of the Subluminous Type Ia Supernova 1999by
• On the evolution of rapidly rotating massive white dwarfs towards supernovae or collapses
• The Unique Type Ia Supernova 2000cx in NGC 524
• The Luminosity of SN 1999by in NGC 2841 and the Nature of `Peculiar' Type Ia Supernovae
• The Extremes of Thermonuclear Supernovae
• Presupernova evolution of accreting white dwarfs with rotation
• Preliminary Spectral Analysis of the Type II Supernova 1999em
• The properties of the "standard" type Ic supernova 1994I from spectral models
• A Study of Carbon Features in Type Ia Supernova Spectra
• Can differences in the nickel abundance in Chandrasekhar mass models explain the relation between brightness and decline rate of normal Type Ia Supernovae?
• Spectroscopic Observations and Analysis of the Peculiar SN 1999aa
• Detection of a light echo from SN1998bu
• Supernova type Ia luminosities, their dependence on second parameters, and the value of H_0
• Using Line Profiles to Test the Fraternity of Type Ia Supernovae at High and Low Redshifts
• Determination of the Hubble Constant Using a Two-Parameter Luminosity Correction for Type Ia Supernovae
• Reading the Spectra of the Most Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 2002cx
• Reddening, Absorption, and Decline Rate Corrections for a Complete Sample of Type Ia Supernovae leading to a Fully Corrected Hubble Diagram to v<30,000kms-1
• Supernova 2012aw - a high-energy clone of archetypal type IIP SN 1999em
• Direct Analysis of Spectra of the Type Ic Supernova 1994I
• On the High--Velocity Ejecta of the Type Ia Supernova 1994D
• Pre-Maximum Spectropolarimetry of the Type Ia SN 2004dt
• Gaia17biu/SN 2017egm in NGC 3191: The closest hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova to date is in a "normal", massive, metal-rich spiral galaxy
• A Search for New Candidate Super-Chandrasekhar-Mass Type Ia Supernovae in the Nearby Supernova Factory Dataset
• On the Spectroscopic Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae
• Distance Determination To Eight Galaxies Using Expanding Photosphere Method
• Early spectroscopic identification of SN 2008D
• Could There Be A Hole In Type Ia Supernovae?
• SN 2005hj: Evidence for Two Classes of Normal-Bright SNe Ia and Implications for Cosmology
• Three-dimensional simulations of gravitationally confined detonations compared to observations of SN 1991T
• Optical and Ultraviolet Observations of the Narrow-Lined Type Ia SN 2012fr in NGC 1365
• SN 2013ab : A normal type IIP supernova in NGC 5669
• Cepheid Calibration of the Peak Brightness of SNe Ia. X. SN 1991T in NGC 4527
• Luminosity distributions of Type Ia Supernovae
• Abundance stratification in Type Ia Supernovae - IV: the luminous, peculiar SN 1991T
• Comparative Direct Analysis of Type Ia Supernova Spectra. IV. Postmaximum
• Spectroscopic Observations and Analysis of the Unusual Type Ia SN 1999ac
• Upper limit for circumstellar gas around the Type Ia SN 2000cx
• Direct Analysis of Spectra of the Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 2000cx
• Thermonuclear explosions of rapidly rotating white dwarfs - I. Deflagrations
• On the gamma-ray emission of Type Ia Supernovae
• Reddening, Abundances, and Line Formation in SNe II
• Spectroscopically Peculiar Type Ia Supernovae and Implications for Progenitors
• Observational Characteristics and Possible Asphericity of Over-Luminous Type Ia Supernovae
• Comparative Direct Analysis of Type Ia Supernova Spectra. III. Premaximum
• Detectibility of Mixed Unburnt C+O in Type Ia Supernova Spectra
• Supernovae and Cosmology
• ASASSN-15hy: an under-luminous, red 03fg-like type Ia supernova
• X- and Gamma-Ray Flashes from Type Ia Supernovae?
• ASASSN-15nx: A luminous Type II supernova with a "perfect" linear decline
• The Absolute Magnitudes of 1991T-like Supernovae
• A Luminous Peculiar Type Ia Supernova SN 2011hr: More Like SN 1991T or SN 2007if?
• Excluding super-soft X-ray sources as progenitors for four Type Ia supernovae in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Determination of Primordial Metallicity and Mixing in the Type IIP Supernova 1993W
• A study of Si II and S II features in spectra of Type Ia supernova
• SN 2016B a.k.a ASASSN-16ab: a transitional type II supernova
• The brightness of SN 1991T and the uniformity of decline-rate and colour corrected absolute magnitudes of supernovae Ia
• A New Contributor to Chemical Evolution in High-Redshift Galaxies
• Photometric observations of the supernova 2009nr