The Exceptionally Luminous Type Ia Supernova 2007if

Details The Exceptionally Luminous Type Ia Supernova 2007if The Exceptionally Luminous Type Ia Supernova 2007if

2010-04-20

arxiv.org/abs/1004.3329v2

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics

7 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Scientific paper

SN 2007if was the third over-luminous SN Ia detected after 2003fg and 2006gz. We present the photometric and spectroscopic observations of the supernova and its host by ROTSE-III, HET and Keck. From the H_alpha line identified in the host spectra, we determine a redshift of 0.0736. At this distance, the supernova reached an absolute magnitude of -20.4, brighter than any other SNe Ia ever observed. If the source of luminosity is radioactive decay, a large amount of radioactive nickel (~1.5 solar masses) is required to power the peak luminosity, more than can be produced realistically in a Chandrasekhar mass progenitor. Low expansion velocity, similar to that of 2003fg, is also measured around the maximum light. The observations may suggest that SN 2007if was from a massive white dwarf progenitor, plausibly exploding with mass well beyond 1.4 solar masses. Alternatively, we investigate circumstellar interaction that may contribute to the excess luminosity.

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