Search for: All records

ABSTRACT The fate of massive stars above 20‌ $$\rm M$$_{\normalsize \odot }$$ remains uncertain. Debate persists about whether they die as supernovae (SNe), or if they collapse directly into black holes (BHs) with little or no optical outburst – so-called failed supernovae. The source M31-2014-DS1 experienced an optical outburst in 2014 and has remained faint at visual wavelengths since then. Due to its persistent faintness, it has been proposed as a failed SN candidate. We present new observations of this candidate obtained using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Submillimeter Array, and Chandra. The JWST observations demonstrate that a luminous mid-infrared source persists at the same location a decade after the star faded at visual wavelengths. We model its current spectral energy distribution as a dust-enshrouded star. No X-ray emission is detected, disfavouring the hypothesis that the late-time luminosity is powered by accretion on to a BH. We find that the remaining source is highly obscured by an asymmetric distribution of circumstellar dust, making it difficult to quantify its physical properties using spherically symmetric radiative transfer codes. The dust geometry requires that the inferred bolometric luminosity is only a lower limit, as a significant fraction of the central source’s radiation may escape without being reprocessed by dust. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of failed SN models and consider the potential overlap with signatures expected from a stellar merger, which also seems to provide a plausible explanation of this source. 

Abstract We report the detection of linear polarization in the radio afterglow of GRB 260310A, representing the first centimeter-wavelength polarization detection of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow and the first measurement of Faraday rotation in a GRB environment. We detect linearly polarized emission across 11–25 GHz, with a polarization fraction decreasing monotonically from (3.18 ± 0.18)% at 25 GHz to (0.69 ± 0.22)% at 11 GHz. We model the multiwavelength data as emission from a refreshed forward shock (FS) that dominates in the optical and X-rays and a reverse shock (RS) in a structured, relativistic jet that dominates at radio wavelengths. The observed depolarization toward the lower radio frequencies is consistent with suppression by RS synchrotron self-absorption, while the low observed polarization at high frequencies relative to the theoretical maximum suggests a patchy magnetic field in the jet with a coherence scale,θ_B ≈ 10⁻²rad. We identify a frequency-dependent rotation of the polarization angle consistent with Faraday rotation, with a rotation measure (RM) of RM = −(8300 ± 90) rad m⁻²at the GRB redshift. The magnitude of the RM is consistent with propagation through a dense, magnetized environment, such as a progenitor HIIregion. These findings demonstrate that GRB afterglows exhibit measurable linear polarization at centimeter wavelengths, and that their polarimetric properties probe both intrinsic jet magnetization and the surrounding medium. Future multifrequency polarimetric monitoring over timescales of days to weeks will enable detailed studies of the evolution of magnetic field structure and provide new constraints on the role of magnetic fields in GRB afterglows. 

Abstract Multiwavelength analyses of astrophysical transients are essential for understanding the physics of these events. To make such analyses more efficient and effective, we present the Open mulTiwavelength Transient Event Repository (OTTER), a publicly available catalog of published transient event metadata and photometry. Unlike previous efforts, our data schema is optimized for the storage of multiwavelength photometric datasets spanning the entire electromagnetic spectrum from multiple published sources. Open-source software, including an application programming interface (API) and web application, are available for viewing, accessing, and analyzing the dataset. For the initial release of OTTER, we present the largest ever photometric archive of tidal disruption event (TDE) candidates, including ≳118,000 observations of 240 TDE candidates spanning from radio to X-ray wavelengths. We demonstrate the power of this infrastructure through four example analyses of the TDE population. We plan to maintain this dataset as more TDE candidates are proposed in the future and encourage other users to contribute by uploading newly published data via our web application. The infrastructure was built with the goal of archiving additional transient data (supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, fast blue optical transients, fast radio bursts, etc.) in the future. The web application is available athttps://otter.idies.jhu.eduand the API documentation is available athttps://astro-otter.readthedocs.io. 

Abstract Calcium-strong transients (CaSTs) are a subclass of faint and rapidly evolving supernovae (SNe) that exhibit strong calcium features and notably weak oxygen features. The small but growing population of CaSTs exhibits some aspects similar to thermonuclear SNe but others similar to massive star core-collapse events, leading to intriguing questions on their physical origins. SN 2025coe is one of the nearest CaSTs discovered to date, and our coordinated multiwavelength observations obtained days to weeks postexplosion reveal new insights into these enigmatic transients. With the most robust near-IR (NIR) spectroscopic time series of a CaST collected to date, SN 2025coe shows spectral signatures characteristic of Type Ib SNe (SNe Ib; i.e., He-rich stripped-envelope SNe (SESNe)). SN 2025coe is the third X-ray-detected CaST and our analysis of Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory X-ray data suggests interaction with 0.12 ± 0.11M_⊙of circumstellar material (CSM) extending to at least 2 × 10¹⁵cm (∼30,000R_⊙), while our analysis of the 1–240 GHz radio nondetections gives an outer radius of that CSM of at most ∼5 × 10¹⁵cm. This inferred nearby high-density CSM extending out to (3.5 ± 1.5) × 10¹⁵cm is similar to that seen in the other two X-ray-detected CaSTs, and its presence suggests that either intensive mass loss from a massive star or some exotic pre-SN mass ejection may be a common feature of this subclass. Our work also expands upon recent studies of the optical properties of SN 2025coe and explores our current understanding of different progenitor systems that could possibly produce CaSTs. 

Abstract We present a detailed radio study of the tidal disruption events (TDEs) AT 2020zso and AT 2021sdu. Both exhibit transient radio emission beginning shortly after optical discovery and persisting for several years. For AT 2020zso, we identify two distinct radio flares. The first is detected in the radio ∼22 days after the optical peak, reaching a maximum of ∼1 yr post-discovery before fading. The second flare appears ∼800 days after discovery and results in the brief presence of two distinct components in the radio spectra, providing strong evidence for physically separate outflows. Both flares are consistent with nonrelativistic outflows, with velocities ofv ≈ 0.1–0.2cand energies ofE ∼ 10⁴⁹erg, propagating through a Bondi-like circumnuclear medium. Our analysis supports a scenario in which the first outflow is accretion driven, launched while the TDE disk is accreting at a relatively high Eddington fraction, whereas the second outflow is associated with a transition to an advection-dominated accretion flow. In contrast, the radio emission from AT 2021sdu is best explained by a slower (v ≈ 0.03c), less energetic outflow (E ∼ 10⁴⁸erg), combined with diffuse, nonvariable host emission that becomes dominant ∼500 days after discovery. Assuming free expansion, we infer an outflow launch date preceding the optical discovery date. This suggests that the outflow may originate from either the unbound stellar debris ejected during disruption or, alternatively, from a decelerating outflow. Our findings demonstrate the diversity of outflow properties in TDEs and highlight the observational challenges of interpreting late-time radio variability in the presence of host galaxy contamination. 

We present spectra of the supernova (SN) impostor AT 2016blu spanning over a decade. This transient exhibits quasi-periodic outbursts with an $$\sim$$113 d period, likely triggered by periastron encounters in an eccentric binary system where the primary star is a luminous blue variable (LBV). The overall spectrum remains fairly consistent during quiescence and eruptions, with subtle changes in line-profile shapes and other details. Some narrow emission features indicate contamination from a nearby H ii region in the host galaxy, NGC 4559. Broader H $$\alpha$$ profiles exhibit Lorentzian shapes with full width at half-maximum intensity (FWHM) values that vary significantly, showing no correlation with photometric outbursts or the 113 d phase. At some epochs, H $$\alpha$$ exhibits asymmetric profiles with a stronger redshifted wing, while broad and sometimes multicomponent P Cygni absorption features occasionally appear, but are again uncorrelated with brightness or phase. These P Cygni absorptions have high velocities compared to the FWHM of the H $$\alpha$$ emission line, perhaps suggesting that the absorption component is not in the LBV’s wind, but is instead associated with a companion. The lack of phase dependence in line-profile changes may point to interaction between a companion and a variable or inhomogeneous primary wind, in an orbit with only mild eccentricity. Recent photometric data indicate that AT 2016blu experienced its 21st outburst around 2023 May/June, as predicted based on its period. This type of quasi-periodic LBV remains poorly understood, but its spectra and erratic light curve resemble some pre-SN outbursts such as those of SN 2009ip. 

Abstract Interacting supernovae probe the twilight years of massive stars, exhibiting signatures of interaction between the supernova ejecta and surrounding material expelled from the progenitor. We present the peculiar interacting supernova, SN 2025ngs in NGC 5961 (37.8 Mpc). This transient toes the line between strongly interacting supernovae (Type IIn) and Type IIP supernovae. SN 2025ngs presents photometrically as a short-plateau supernova, with a plateau durationt ${}_{\mathrm{PT}}^{}\approx 70$ days. Interaction features subside within a week postexplosion, consistent with the growing number of flash supernovae, giving way to a short period where a typical IIP spectrum is exhibited. Towards the drop off the plateau, interaction features re-emerge, exhibiting complex Hαprofiles throughout the rest of the transient evolution. We compare with models of early spectra, finding the abundances generally consistent with a supergiant progenitor with a high mass-loss rate (10⁻³M_⊙yr⁻¹). Early, high-resolution spectra reveal a double-horned Hαprofile, providing strong evidence for shock interaction with a proximate disk-like circumstellar medium. Spectroscopically, SN 2025ngs closely resembles the luminous SN 1998S, despite photometric differences, with SN 2025ngs having a relatively modest peak magnitude ofM_V = −17.9 mag, adding another member to the surprisingly diverse 98S-like group. 

Abstract We present far- and near-ultraviolet (UV) spectra of the type II supernovae (SNe) SN 2023ixf from days 199 to 722 and SN 2024ggi at days 41 and 232. Both SNe show broad, blueshifted, and asymmetric UV emission lines with an initial maximum velocity of ∼9000 km s⁻¹and narrow unresolved emission in Civλλ1548.9, 1550.8. We compare the optical and UV emission-line profiles, showing that they evolve from two distinct velocity profiles to a single profile tracing the UV emission. We interpret this as shock power from interaction with circumstellar material coming to dominate over the radioactive-decay power from the inner ejecta. Comparing our observations to radiative transfer models with injected shock power, we find SN 2024ggi is best matched byP_shock,abs = 1 × 10⁴¹erg s⁻¹at day 40; SN 2023ixf at day 300 and SN 2024ggi at day 200 are best matched byP_shock,abs = 1 × 10⁴⁰erg s^−1;and SN 2023ixf at day 600 is best matched byP_shock,abs = 5 × 10³⁹erg s⁻¹. From these models, we find that the mass-loss rate of both SNe increased just before the explosion. For SN 2023ixf, our mass-loss rates go from 4 × 10⁻⁵M_⊙yr⁻¹at 600 yr before explosion to 2 × 10⁻²M_⊙yr⁻¹at 15 yr prior to explosion. For SN 2024ggi, we find a mass-loss rate of 9 × 10⁻⁵M_⊙yr⁻¹at 150 yr before explosion and 1 × 10⁻³M_⊙yr⁻¹at 30 yr before explosion. 

Abstract We present optical photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2019hnl. Discovered within ∼26 hr of explosion by the ATLAS survey, SN 2019hnl is a typical Type IIP supernova (SN) with a peak absoluteV-band magnitude of −16.7 ± 0.1 mag, a plateau length of ∼107 days, and an early decline rate of 0.0086 ± 0.0006 mag (50 days)⁻¹. We use nebular spectroscopy and hydrodynamic modeling with thesnec,mesa, andstellacodes to infer that the progenitor of SN 2019hnl was anM_ZAMS ∼ 11M_⊙red supergiant, which produced 0.047 ± 0.007M_⊙of⁵⁶Ni in the explosion. As a part of our hydrodynamic modeling, we reduced hydrogen envelope mass by scaling the mass loss within the “Dutch” wind scheme to fit our light curve, showing that the progenitor of a relatively typical Type IIP SN may experience partial stripping during their evolution and establish massive (∼0.2M_⊙) circumstellar material environments prior to core collapse. 

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.