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Abstract We present James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near-Infrared Spectrograph observations of SN 2024ggi, spanning wavelengths of 1.7–5.5μm at +285.51 and +385.27 days postexplosion. These nebular spectra are dominated by asymmetric emission lines from atomic species including H, Ca, Ar, C, Mg, Ni, Co, and Fe, indicative of an aspherical explosion. The other strong features are molecular CO vibrational bands from the fundamental and first overtone. We introduce a novel, data-driven approach using non–local thermodynamic equilibrium three-dimensional (3D) radiative transfer simulations to model the CO emission with high fidelity. This method enables us to constrain the 3D CO distribution and its radial temperature structure. CO formation is found to occur prior to day +285, with subsequent evolution characterized by progressive evaporation. The CO mass decreases from approximately 8.7 to 1.3 ×10⁻³M_⊙, while the average temperature drops from ≈2900 to ≈2500 K. Concurrently, the CO distribution transitions from nearly homogeneous to highly clumped (density contrast increasing fromfc≈ 1.2 to 2). The minimum velocity of the CO-emitting region remains nearly constant (v₁≈ 1200 to 1100 km s⁻¹), significantly above the receding photosphere velocity (v_ph≈ 500 km s⁻¹), suggesting the photosphere resides within Si-rich layers. However, the temperature profile indicates that only a narrow zone reaches the conditions necessary for SiO formation. Due to a lack of observational constraints, SiO clumping is not modeled, and thus, synthetic SiO profiles for mass estimates are not highlighted. We discuss the implications of these findings for dust formation processes in SN 2024ggi. 

Context. Type Ibn supernovae (SNe) are characterized by narrow helium (He I) lines from photons produced by the unshocked circumstellar material (CSM). About 80 SNe Ibn have been discovered to date and only a handful of them have extensive observational records. Thus, many open questions remain regarding the progenitor system and the origin of CSM. Aims. Here, we investigate potential correlations between the spectral features of the prominent He Iλ5876 Å line and the optical and X-ray light curve properties of Type Ibn SNe (SNe Ibn). Methods. We compiled the largest sample of 61 SNe Ibn to date, of which 24 SNe have photometric and spectroscopic data available from the Young Supernova Experiment and 37 SNe benefit from archival datasets. We fit 24 SNe Ibn with sufficient photometric coverage (Btozbands) using semi-analytical models fromMOSFiT. Results. We demonstrate that the light curves of SNe Ibn are more diverse than previous analyses suggest, with absoluter-band peak magnitudes (r_max) of −19.4 ± 0.6 mag, along with rise (from −10 days to peak,γ₋₁₀) and decay rates (from peak to +10 days;γ₊₁₀) of −0.08 ± 0.06 and 0.08 ± 0.03 mag/day, respectively. We find that the majority of SNe Ibn in the subsample are consistent with a low-energy explosion (< 10⁵¹erg) of a star with a compact envelope surrounded by ~0.1 M_⊙of helium-rich CSM. The inferred ejecta masses are small (M_ej~ 1 M_⊙) and expand with a velocity of ~5000 km/s. Our spectroscopic analysis shows that the mean velocity of the narrow component of the He Ilines, associated with the CSM, peaks at ~1100 km/s. Conclusions. The mean CSM and ejecta masses inferred for a subsample of SNe Ibn indicate that their progenitors are not massive (~10 M_⊙) single stars at the moment of explosion; rather, they are likely to be binary systems. This finding is in agreement with detections of potential companion stars of SNe Ibn progenitors and inferred CSM properties from stellar evolution models. 

Abstract In an effort to search for faint sources of emission over arbitrary timescales, we present a novel method for analyzing forced photometry light curves in difference imaging from optical surveys. Our method “ATLAS Clean,” or ATClean, utilizes the reported fluxes, uncertainties, and fits to the point-spread function (PSF) from difference images to quantify the statistical significance of individual measurements. We apply this method to control light curves across the image to determine whether any source of flux is present in the data for a range of specific timescales. From ATLASo-band imaging at the site of the Type II supernova (SN) 2023ixf in M101 from 2015–2023, we show that this method accurately reproduces the 3σflux limits produced from other, more computationally expensive methods. We derive limits for emission on timescales of 5 days and 80–300 days at the site of SN 2023ixf, which are 19.8 and 21.3 mag, respectively. The latter limits rule out variability for unextinguished red supergiants with initial masses >22M_⊙, comparable to the most luminous predictions for the SN 2023ixf progenitor system. We also compare our limits to short-timescale outbursts, similar to those expected for Type IIn SN progenitor stars or the Type II SN 2020tlf, and rule out outburst ejecta masses of >0.021M_⊙, much lower than the inferred mass of circumstellar matter around SN 2023ixf in the literature. In the future, these methods can be applied to any forced photometry on difference imaging from other surveys, such as Rubin optical imaging. 

Abstract We present an ultraviolet to infrared search for the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart to GW190425, the second ever binary neutron star merger discovered by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. GW190425 was more distant and had a larger localization area than GW170817, so we use a new tool,Teglon, to redistribute the GW190425 localization probability in the context of galaxy catalogs within the final localization volume. We derive a 90th percentile area of 6688 deg², a ∼1.5× improvement relative to the LIGO/Virgo map, and show howTeglonprovides an order-of-magnitude boost to the search efficiency of small (≤1 deg²) field-of-view instruments. We combine our data with a large, publicly reported imaging data set, covering 9078.59 deg²of unique area and 48.13% of the LIGO/Virgo-assigned localization probability, to calculate the most comprehensive kilonova (KN), short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) afterglow, and model-independent constraints on the EM emission from a hypothetical counterpart to GW190425 to date under the assumption that no counterpart was found in these data. If the counterpart were similar to AT 2017gfo, there would be a 28.4% chance of it being detected in the combined data set. We are relatively insensitive to an on-axis sGRB, and rule out a generic transient with a similar peak luminosity and decline rate as AT 2017gfo to 30% confidence. Finally, across our new imaging and publicly reported data, we find 28 candidate optical counterparts that we cannot rule out as being associated with GW190425, finding that four such counterparts discovered within the localization volume and within 5 days of merger exhibit luminosities consistent with a KN. 

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are among the most precise cosmological distance indicators used to study the expansion history of the Universe. The vast increase in SN Ia data due to large-scale astrophysical surveys has led to the discovery of a wide variety of SN Ia sub-classes, such as transitional and fast-declining SNe Ia. However, their distinct photometric and spectroscopic properties differentiate them from the population of normal SNe Ia such that their use as cosmological tools remains challenged. Here, we present a high-cadenced photometric and spectroscopic dataset of two SNe Ia, SNe 2020ue and 2020nlb, which were discovered in the nearby Virgo cluster of galaxies. Our study shows that SN 2020nlb is a normal SN Ia whose unusually red colour is intrinsic, arising from a lower photospheric temperature rather than interstellar reddening, providing clear evidence that colour diversity among normal SNe Ia can have a physical origin. In contrast, SN 2020ue has photometric properties, such as colour evolution and light curve decay rate, similar to those of transitional SNe. It is hence more spectroscopically aligned with normal SNe Ia. This is evident from spectroscopic indicators such as the pseudo-equivalent width of Si IIlines. Thus, such SNe Ia, which lie photometrically at the edge of the standard normal SNe Ia range, may be missed in cosmological SNe Ia samples. Our results highlight that a spectroscopic analysis of SNe Ia around peak brightness is crucial for identifying intrinsic colour variations and constructing a more complete and physically homogeneous SN Ia sample for precision cosmology. 

Abstract We present panchromatic 0.4–21μm observations of the nearby (∼7.2 Mpc) Type II supernova (SN) 2024ggi, obtained during the plateau phase at ∼55 days past explosion. Our data set includes JWST spectra spanning 1.7–14μm, mid-infrared (MIR) imaging at 7.7 and 21μm, and near-simultaneous ground-based optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectra covering 0.32−1.8μm. The NIR and MIR spectral features of SN 2024ggi are dominated by Hiemission. We present line IDs and a toy PHOENIX/1D model that reproduces the observations well, especially the continuum redward of 0.9μm. We compare SN 2024ggi to SN 2022acko and SN 2023ixf, two other Type II SNe that were also observed by JWST, and highlight key similarities and differences in their spectral features. No evidence for a MIR excess or dust is found at these epochs, with the model matching the observed flux out to 21μm. We discuss the model’s shortcomings, focusing on the density profile, which suppresses line blanketing and produces features in the optical that are too narrow. Our results show the power of panchromatic studies in both exploring the nature of the SN ejecta and constraining detailed models of SNe. 

Abstract We present multiwavelength observations of the Type II supernova (SN II) 2023ixf during its first 2 yr of evolution. We combine ground-based optical/near-infrared spectroscopy with Hubble Space Telescope far- and near-ultraviolet spectroscopy and James Webb Space Telescope near- and mid-infrared photometry and spectroscopy to create spectral energy distributions of SN 2023ixf at +374 and +620 days postexplosion, covering a wavelength range of ∼0.1–30μm. The multiband light curve of SN 2023ixf follows a standard radioactive decay decline rate after the plateau until ∼500 days, at which point shock-powered emission from ongoing interaction between the SN ejecta and circumstellar material (CSM) begins to dominate. This evolution is temporally consistent with 0.3–10 keV X-ray detections of SN 2023ixf and broad “boxy” spectral line emission, which we interpret to signal reprocessing of shock luminosity in a cold dense shell located between forward and reverse shocks. Using the expected absorbed radioactive decay power and the detected X-ray luminosity, we quantify the total shock-powered emission at the +374 and +620 day epochs and find that it can be explained by nearly complete thermalization of the reverse shock luminosity as SN 2023ixf interacts with a continuous, “wind-like” CSM with a progenitor mass-loss rate of $\dot{M}\approx 10^{-4}$M_⊙yr⁻¹(v_w = 20 ± 5 km s⁻¹). Additionally, we construct multiepoch spectral models from the non-LTE radiative transfer codeCMFGENthat contain radioactive decay and shock powers as well as dust absorption, scattering, and emission. We find that models with shock powers ofL_sh = (0.5–1) × 10⁴⁰erg s⁻¹and ∼(0.5–1) × 10⁻³M_⊙of silicate dust in the cold dense shell and/or inner SN ejecta can effectively reproduce the global properties of the late-time (>300 days) UV-to-IR spectra of SN 2023ixf. 

Abstract We present UV–optical–near-infrared observations and modeling of supernova (SN) 2024ggi, a type II supernova (SN II) located in NGC 3621 at 7.2 Mpc. Early-time (“flash”) spectroscopy of SN 2024ggi within +0.8 days of discovery shows emission lines of Hi, Hei, Ciii, and Niiiwith a narrow core and broad, symmetric wings (i.e., “IIn-like”) arising from the photoionized, optically thick, unshocked circumstellar material (CSM) that surrounded the progenitor star at shock breakout (SBO). By the next spectral epoch at +1.5 days, SN 2024ggi showed a rise in ionization as emission lines of Heii, Civ, Niv/v, and Ovbecame visible. This phenomenon is temporally consistent with a blueward shift in the UV–optical colors, both likely the result of SBO in an extended, dense CSM. The IIn-like features in SN 2024ggi persist on a timescale oft_IIn= 3.8 ± 1.6 days, at which time a reduction in CSM density allows the detection of Doppler-broadened features from the fastest SN material. SN 2024ggi has peak UV–optical absolute magnitudes ofM_w2= −18.7 mag andM_g= −18.1 mag, respectively, that are consistent with the known population of CSM-interacting SNe II. Comparison of SN 2024ggi with a grid of radiation hydrodynamics and non–local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative-transfer simulations suggests a progenitor mass-loss rate of $\dot{M}={10}^{-2}{M}_{\odot }$yr⁻¹(v_w= 50 km s⁻¹), confined to a distance ofr< 5 × 10¹⁴cm. Assuming a wind velocity ofv_w= 50 km s⁻¹, the progenitor star underwent an enhanced mass-loss episode in the last ∼3 yr before explosion. 

Abstract The discovery and localization of FRB 20240209A by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Fast Radio Burst (CHIME/FRB) experiment marks the first repeating FRB localized with the CHIME/FRB Outriggers and adds to the small sample of repeating FRBs with associated host galaxies. Here we present Keck and Gemini observations of the host that reveal a redshiftz = 0.1384 ± 0.0004. We perform stellar population modeling to jointly fit the optical through mid-IR data of the host and infer a median stellar mass log(M_*/M_⊙) = 11.35 ± 0.01 and a mass-weighted stellar population age  ~11 Gyr, corresponding to the most massive and oldest FRB host discovered to date. Coupled with a star formation rate  <0.31M_⊙yr⁻¹, the specific star formation rate  <10^−11.9yr⁻¹classifies the host as quiescent. Through surface brightness profile modeling, we determine an elliptical galaxy morphology, marking the host as the first confirmed elliptical FRB host. The discovery of a quiescent early-type host galaxy within a transient class predominantly characterized by late-type star-forming hosts is reminiscent of short-duration gamma-ray bursts, Type Ia supernovae, and ultraluminous X-ray sources. Based on these shared host demographics, coupled with a large offset as demonstrated in our companion Letter, we conclude that preferred sources for FRB 20240209A include magnetars formed through merging binary neutron stars/white dwarfs or the accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf, or a luminous X-ray binary. Together with FRB 20200120E localized to a globular cluster in M81, our findings provide strong evidence that some fraction of FRBs may arise from a process distinct from the core collapse of massive stars. 

Abstract We present ultraviolet to infrared observations of the extraordinary Type IIn supernova 2023zkd (SN 2023zkd). Photometrically, it exhibits persistent and luminous precursor emission spanning ∼4 yr preceding discovery (M_r ≈ −15 mag, 1500 days in the observer frame), followed by a secondary stage of gradual brightening in its final year. Post-discovery, it exhibits two photometric peaks of comparable brightness (M_r ≲ −18.7 mag andM_r ≈ −18.4 mag, respectively) separated by 240 days. Spectroscopically, SN 2023zkd exhibits highly asymmetric and multicomponent Balmer and HeIprofiles that we attribute to ejecta interaction with fast-moving (1000–2000 km s⁻¹) He-rich polar material and slow-moving (∼400 km s⁻¹) equatorially distributed H-rich material. HeIIfeatures also appear during the second light curve peak and evolve rapidly. Shock-driven models fit to the multiband photometry suggest that the event is powered by interaction with ∼5–6M_⊙of CSM, with 2–3M_⊙associated with each light curve peak, expelled during mass-loss episodes ∼3–4 yr and ∼1–2 yr prior to explosion. The observed precursor emission, combined with the extreme mass-loss rates required to power each light curve peak, favors either super-Eddington accretion onto a black hole or multiple long-lived eruptions from a massive star to luminosities that have not been previously observed. We consider multiple progenitor scenarios for SN 2023zkd, and find that the brightening optical precursor and inferred explosion properties are most consistent with a massive (M_ZAMS≥ 30M_⊙) and partially stripped He star undergoing an instability-induced merger with a black hole companion.