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Abstract We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2024abfl, a low-luminosity Type IIP supernova (LLSN) discovered shortly after explosion. The transient reached a peak absolute magnitude ofM_V = −14.9 and exhibited an extended, flat plateau lasting ∼125 days. From the late-time bolometric light curve, we estimate a⁵⁶Ni mass of ∼0.01M_⊙, consistent with other LLSNe. Analytical shock-cooling models fail to reproduce the rapid early rise, indicating that circumstellar matter (CSM) interaction contributed to the initial emission. The spectroscopic evolution is typical of LLSNe, with relatively narrow metal lines and low expansion velocities (≲3000 km s⁻¹) that decline slowly over time. We detect a broad “ledge” feature around 4600 Å within 3 days of explosion, which we interpret as a blend of high-ionization, shock-accelerated CSM lines. Multipeaked Hαprofiles develop during the plateau phase, consistent with complex ejecta–CSM interaction. As one of the best-observed examples of LLSNe, SN 2024abfl exhibits a weak explosion and signatures of nearby CSM, offering new insights into progenitor properties, pre-explosion mass loss, and the diversity of LLSNe. 

Abstract If Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) result from a white dwarf being ignited by Roche-lobe overflow from a nondegenerate companion, then as the SN explosion runs into the companion star its ejecta will be shocked, causing an early blue excess in the lightcurve. A handful of these excesses have been found in single-object studies, but inferences about the population of SNe Ia as a whole have been limited because of the rarity of multiwavelength follow-up within days of explosion. Here we present a 3 yr investigation yielding a nearly unbiased sample of nine nearby (z < 0.01) SNe Ia with exemplary early data. The data are multiwavelength, coveringUBVgriand Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory UV bandpasses, and also early, with an average first epoch 16.0 days before maximum light. Of the nine objects, three show early blue excesses. We do not find enough statistical evidence to reject the null hypothesis that SNe Ia predominantly arise from Roche-lobe-overflowing single-degenerate systems (p= 0.94). When looking at the objects’ colors, we find the objects are almost uniformly near-UV–blue, in contrast to earlier literature samples which found that only a third of SNe Ia are near-UV–blue, and we find a seemingly continuous range ofB − Vcolors in the days after explosion, again in contrast with earlier claims in the literature. This study highlights the importance of early, multiwavelength, high-cadence data in determining the progenitor systems of SNe Ia and in revealing their diverse early behavior. 

Abstract We present JWST/Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and complementary ground-based near-infrared observations of the Type II SN 2017eaw taken 6 yr postexplosion. SN 2017eaw is still detected out to 25μm and there is minimal evolution in the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution (SED) between the newly acquired JWST/MIRI observations and those taken a year earlier. Modeling of the mid-infrared SED reveals a cool ∼160 K dust component of 5.5 × 10⁻⁴M_⊙and a hot ∼1700 K component of 5.4 × 10⁻⁸M_⊙, both composed of silicate dust. Notably, there is no evidence of temperature or mass evolution in the cool dust component in the year between JWST observations. We also present new and archival HST and ground-based ultraviolet (UV) and optical observations which reveal reduced but continued circumstellar medium (CSM)–ejecta interaction at >2000 days postexplosion. The UV and mid-infrared emission show similar decline rates, suggesting both probe the interface between the ejecta and CSM. Given the continued existence of boxy Hαemission in the nebular spectra, the low inferred optical depth of the dust, and the lack of temperature and mass evolution, we suggest that the cool dust component in SN 2017eaw may be primarily due to pre-existing dust rather than newly formed dust in the ejecta or cold dense shell. 

Abstract We present a comprehensive multi-epoch photometric and spectroscopic study of SN 2024bch, a nearby (19.9 Mpc) Type II supernova (SN) with prominent early high-ionization emission lines. Optical spectra from 2.8 days after the estimated explosion reveal narrow lines of H i, He ii, C iv, and N ivthat disappear by day 6. High-cadence photometry from the ground and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite show that the SN brightened quickly and reached a peakM_V ~ −17.8 mag within a week of explosion, and late-time photometry suggests a⁵⁶Ni mass of 0.050M_⊙. High-resolution spectra from days 7.9 and 43 trace the unshocked circumstellar medium (CSM) and indicate a wind velocity of 30–40 km s⁻¹, a value consistent with a red supergiant (RSG) progenitor. Comparisons between models and the early spectra suggest a pre-SN mass-loss rate of $\dot{M}~10^{-3}–10^{-2}{M}_{\odot }{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$ , which is too high to be explained by quiescent mass loss from RSGs, but is consistent with some recent measurements of similar SNe. Persistent blueshifted H iand [O i] emission lines seen in the optical and near-IR spectra could be produced by asymmetries in the SN ejecta, while the multicomponent Hαmay indicate continued interaction with an asymmetric CSM well into the nebular phase. SN 2024bch provides another clue to the complex environments and mass-loss histories around massive stars. 

Abstract We present a detailed photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the Type IIP supernova (SN) SN 2023zcu, which exploded in the galaxy NGC 2139 (redshiftz= 0.006). SN 2023zcu exhibits a well-sampled light curve covering the rise, plateau, and nebular phases. It has an optically thick phase of 100.6  ±  0.6 days with a magnitude drop of ∼1.7 mag in theVband during the transition between the plateau and nebular phases. Weak emission features in the early-time spectra indicate a low-level interaction between circumstellar material and the SN ejecta. The spectral evolution is well sampled and exhibits a prominent P Cygni profile of Hα, a defining characteristic of Type IIP SNe. Signatures of metal-line formation (e.g., Feii, Caiinear-infrared triplet) are also evident in the spectra as the SN evolves. Spectral modeling with the radiative transfer codeTARDISduring the early photospheric phase (8.7–35.5 days since explosion) yields photospheric temperatures decreasing from ∼9000 to ∼6000 K and expansion velocities declining from ∼10,000 to ∼5400 km s⁻¹. A tailored expanding photosphere method fit based on theTARDISmodels provides a distance estimate of 27.8  ±  2.0 Mpc. Nebular-phase spectra and bolometric light-curve modeling suggest a progenitor mass in the range 12–15M_⊙. This thorough analysis helps to constrain progenitor properties and explosion parameters, thereby strengthening our understanding of Type IIP SNe. 

Abstract We present multi-epoch optical spectropolarimetric and imaging polarimetric observations of the nearby Type II supernova (SN) 2023ixf discovered in M101 at a distance of 6.85 Mpc. The first imaging polarimetric observations were taken +2.33 days (60085.08 MJD) after the explosion, while the last imaging polarimetric data points (+73.19 and +76.19 days) were acquired after the fall from the light-curve plateau. At +2.33 days there is strong evidence of circumstellar material (CSM) interaction in the spectra and the light curve. A significant level of intrinsic polarizationp_r = 1.02% ± 0.07% is seen during this phase, which indicates that this CSM is aspherical. We find that the polarization evolves with time toward the interstellar polarization level during the photospheric phase, which suggests that the recombination photosphere is spherically symmetric. There is a jump in polarization (p_r = 0.45% ± 0.08% andp_r = 0.62% ± 0.08%) at +73.19 and +76.19 days when the light curve falls from the plateau. This is a phase where polarimetric data are sensitive to nonspherical inner ejecta or a decrease in optical depth into the single-scattering regime. We also present spectropolarimetric data that reveal line (de)polarization during most of the observed epochs. In addition, at +14.50 days we see an “inverse P Cygni” profile in the H and He line polarization, which clearly indicates the presence of asymmetrically distributed material overlying the photosphere. The overall temporal evolution of the polarization is typical for Type II SNe, but the high level of polarization during the rising phase has only been observed in SN 2023ixf. 

Abstract We present high-cadence optical and ultraviolet (UV) observations of the Type II supernova (SN), SN 2022jox which exhibits early spectroscopic high-ionization flash features of Hi, Heii, Civ, and Nivthat disappear within the first few days after explosion. SN 2022jox was discovered by the Distance Less Than 40 Mpc survey ∼0.75 day after explosion with follow-up spectra and UV photometry obtained within minutes of discovery. The SN reached a peak brightness ofM_V∼ −17.3 mag, and has an estimated⁵⁶Ni mass of 0.04M_⊙, typical values for normal Type II SNe. The modeling of the early light curve and the strong flash signatures present in the optical spectra indicate interaction with circumstellar material (CSM) created from a progenitor with a mass-loss rate of $\dot{M}\sim {10}^{-3}\text{–}{10}^{-2}{M}_{\odot }{\mathrm{y}\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$ . There may also be some indication of late-time CSM interaction in the form of an emission line blueward of Hαseen in spectra around 200 days. The mass-loss rate of SN 2022jox is much higher than the values typically associated with quiescent mass loss from red supergiants, the known progenitors of Type II SNe, but is comparable to inferred values from similar core-collapse SNe with flash features, suggesting an eruptive event or a superwind in the progenitor in the months or years before explosion. 

Abstract We present high-cadence photometric and spectroscopic observations of supernova (SN) 2024ggi, a Type II SN with flash spectroscopy features, which exploded in the nearby galaxy NGC 3621 at ∼7 Mpc. The light-curve evolution over the first 30 hr can be fit by two power-law indices with a break after 22 hr, rising fromM_V≈ −12.95 mag at +0.66 day toM_V≈ −17.91 mag after 7 days. In addition, the densely sampled color curve shows a strong blueward evolution over the first few days and then behaves as a normal SN II with a redward evolution as the ejecta cool. Such deviations could be due to interaction with circumstellar material (CSM). Early high- and low-resolution spectra clearly show high-ionization flash features from the first spectrum to +3.42 days after the explosion. From the high-resolution spectra, we calculate the CSM velocity to be 37 ± 4 km s⁻¹. We also see the line strength evolve rapidly from 1.22 to 1.49 days in the earliest high-resolution spectra. Comparison of the low-resolution spectra with CMFGEN models suggests that the pre-explosion mass-loss rate of SN 2024ggi falls in the range of 10⁻³–10⁻²M_☉yr⁻¹, which is similar to that derived for SN 2023ixf. However, the rapid temporal evolution of the narrow lines in the spectra of SN 2024ggi (R_CSM∼ 2.7 × 10¹⁴cm) could indicate a smaller spatial extent of the CSM than in SN 2023ixf (R_CSM∼ 5.4 × 10¹⁴cm), which in turn implies a lower total CSM mass for SN 2024ggi. 

Abstract We present a comprehensive analysis of 653 optical candidate counterparts reported during the third gravitational-wave (GW) observing run. Our sample concentrates on candidates from the 15 events (published in GWTC-2, GWTC-3, or not retracted on GraceDB) that had a >1% chance of including a neutron star in order to assess their viability as true kilonovae. In particular, we leverage tools available in real time, including pre-merger detections and cross-matching with catalogs (i.e., point-source, variable-star, quasar and host-galaxy redshift data sets), to eliminate 65% of candidates in our sample. We further employ spectroscopic classifications, late-time detections, and light-curve behavior analyses and conclude that 66 candidates remain viable kilonovae. These candidates lack sufficient information to determine their classifications, and the majority would require luminosities greater than that of AT 2017gfo. Pre-merger detections in public photometric survey data and comparison of cataloged host-galaxy redshifts with the GW event distances are critical to incorporate into vetting procedures, as these tools eliminated >20% and >30% of candidates, respectively. We expect that such tools that leverage archival information will significantly reduce the strain on spectroscopic and photometric follow-up resources in future observing runs. Finally, we discuss the critical role prompt updates from GW astronomers to the EM community play in reducing the number of candidates requiring vetting. 

Abstract We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the nearby ( D ≈ 28 Mpc) interacting supernova (SN) 2019esa, discovered within hours of explosion and serendipitously observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Early, high-cadence light curves from both TESS and the DLT40 survey tightly constrain the time of explosion, and show a 30 day rise to maximum light followed by a near-constant linear decline in luminosity. Optical spectroscopy over the first 40 days revealed a reddened object with narrow Balmer emission lines seen in Type IIn SNe. The slow rise to maximum in the optical light curve combined with the lack of broad H α emission suggest the presence of very optically thick and close circumstellar material (CSM) that quickly decelerated the SN ejecta. This CSM was likely created from a massive star progenitor with an M ̇ ∼ 0.2 M ☉ yr −1 lost in a previous eruptive episode 3–4 yr before eruption, similar to giant eruptions of luminous blue variable stars. At late times, strong intermediate-width Ca ii , Fe i , and Fe ii lines are seen in the optical spectra, identical to those seen in the superluminous interacting SN 2006gy. The strong CSM interaction masks the underlying explosion mechanism in SN 2019esa, but the combination of the luminosity, strength of the H α lines, and mass-loss rate of the progenitor seem to be inconsistent with a Type Ia CSM model and instead point to a core-collapse origin.