Michael F. Bietenholz

A relativistic type Ibc supernova without a detected γ-ray burst

Long duration γ-ray bursts (GRBs) mark the explosive death of some massive stars and are a rare sub-class of type Ibc supernovae. They are distinguished by the production of an energetic and collimated relativistic outflow powered by a central engine (an accreting black hole or neutron star). Observationally, this outflow is manifested in the pulse of γ-rays and a long-lived radio afterglow. Until now, central-engine-driven supernovae have been discovered exclusively through their γ-ray emission, yet it is expected that a larger population goes undetected because of limited satellite sensitivity or beaming of the collimated emission away from our line of sight. In this framework, the recovery of undetected GRBs may be possible through radio searches for type Ibc supernovae with relativistic outflows. Here we report the discovery of luminous radio emission from the seemingly ordinary type Ibc SN 2009bb, which requires a substantial relativistic outflow powered by a central engine. A comparison with our radio survey of type Ibc supernovae reveals that the fraction harbouring central engines is low, about one per cent, measured independently from, but consistent with, the inferred rate of nearby GRBs. Independently, a second mildly relativistic supernova has been reported.

Science with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder

The future of cm and m-wave astronomy lies with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a telescope under development by a consortium of 17 countries that will be 50 times more sensitive than any existing radio facility. Most of the key science for the SKA will be addressed through large-area imaging of the Universe at frequencies from a few hundred MHz to a few GHz. The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a technology demonstrator aimed in the mid-frequency range, and achieves instantaneous wide-area imaging through the development and deployment of phased-array feed systems on parabolic reflectors. The large field-of-view makes ASKAP an unprecedented synoptic telescope that will make substantial advances in SKA key science. ASKAP will be located at the Murchison Radio Observatory in inland Western Australia, one of the most radio-quiet locations on the Earth and one of two sites selected by the international community as a potential location for the SKA. In this paper, we outline the ASKAP project and summarise its headline science goals as defined by the community at large.

MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF SUPERNOVA 2011ei: TIME-DEPENDENT CLASSIFICATION OF TYPE IIb AND Ib SUPERNOVAE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THEIR PROGENITORS

We present X-ray, UV/optical, and radio observations of the stripped-envelope, core-collapse supernova (SN) 2011ei, one of the least luminous SNe IIb or Ib observed to date. Our observations begin with a discovery within � 1 day of explosion and span several months afterward. Early optical spectra exhibit broad, Type II-like hydrogen Balmer profiles that subside rapidly and are replaced by Type Ib-like He-rich features on the timescale of one week. High-cadence monitoring of this transition suggests that absorption attributable to a high velocity (& 12,000 km s −1 ) H-rich shell is not rare in Type Ib events. Radio observations imply a shock velocity of v � 0.13c and a progenitor star mass-loss rate of u M � 1.4 × 10 −5 M⊙ yr −1 (assuming wind velocity vw = 10 3 km s −1 ). This is consistent with independent constraints from deep X-ray observations with Swift-XRT and Chandra. Overall, the multi-wavelength properties of SN2011ei are consistent with the explosion of a lower-mass (3 4 M⊙), compact (R∗ . 1 × 10 11 cm), He core star. The star retained a thin hydrogen envelope at the time of explosion, and was embedded in an inhomogeneous circumstellar wind suggestive of modest episodic mass-loss. We conclude that SN2011ei’s rapid spectral metamorphosis is indicative of time-dependent classifications that bias estimates of explosion rates for Type IIb and Ib objects, and that important information about a progenitor star’s evolutionary state and mass-loss immediately prior to SN explosion can be inferred from timely multi-wavelength observations. Subject headings: supernovae: general — supernova: individual (SN2011ei)

SN 1979C VLBI: 22 Years of Almost Free Expansion

VLBI measurements of the size of SN 1979C in M100 (NGC 4321) in the Virgo Cluster, from t = 3.7 yr after the explosion, show an expansion ∝tm, which is, with m = 0.95 ± 0.03, almost consistent with being free for 22 years. The last size measurement, at t = 22 yr, may indicate for the first time a change of the expansion of the supernova and suggests, as an alternative, free expansion ∝tm with m = 1.00 ± 0.05 up to tb ~ 17 yr followed by marginally significant deceleration with m = 0.74 ± 0.17. The possible deceleration could be weaker within the errors for tb 17 yr. With the assumption for the density profile of the circumstellar medium (CSM) of ρCSM ∝ r-s, we derive a model-dependent value of s = 1.95 up to a distance from the progenitor, r = rb, that corresponds to tb ~ 17 yr, which changes to s 1.5 for r > rb. For a kinetic energy of the shocked ejecta and CSM shells of Ekin = 1051 ergs, our results require a mass loss to wind velocity ratio for the progenitor of w/w ~ 1 × 10-5 M☉ yr-1 per w = 10 km s-1, an order of magnitude smaller than estimated from radio light-curve fitting. The swept-up mass at t = 22 yr is then Msw = 0.3 M☉ and the inferred mass of the shocked ejecta Mshock-ej = 2 M☉. Our last observations give an image of a barely resolved source with a first hint on the structure of the supernova, consistent with being circular within 9% and possibly center filled. The expanding shock front method (ESM) of combining the transverse radio expansion velocities with the radial optical velocities gives direct distance estimates to M100, with standard errors of D = 16.5 ± 2.5 to 19.8 ± 3.0 Mpc, depending on whether the supernova has a bright center or is a shell without such a center. These estimates are comparable with those from Cepheid observations (e.g., 16.1 and 15.2 Mpc).

Faraday rotation and physical conditions in the Crab Nebula

New, high-resolution radio images of the Crab Nebula at four frequencies are presented. These are used to construct reliable depolarization and rotation measure (RM) maps. The polarization maps show considerable small-scale structure. The features in the RM map appear unrelated to any structure visible in the total intensity. The large-scale RM is remarkably constant at about -21 rad/sq m across the nebula, and is mostly external, with at most a small contribution from the nebula itself. The synchrotron-emitting regions are quite separate from those in which most of the Faraday rotation occurs. In the former, the scale size of the magnetic field structure is about 0.1 pc and the (thermal) densities are low. It is shown that the radio depolarization must be caused by a network of Faraday rotating filaments containing thermal material. Most of these filaments are too small to be seen individually, have a filling factor of about 0.3, and RMs of a few hundred radians per square meter. 28 refs.

A MISSING-LINK IN THE SUPERNOVA–GRB CONNECTION: THE CASE OF SN 2012ap

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are characterized by ultra-relativistic outflows, while supernovae are generally characterized by non-relativistic ejecta. GRB afterglows decelerate rapidly, usually within days, because their low-mass ejecta rapidly sweep up a comparatively larger mass of circumstellar material. However, supernovae with heavy ejecta can be in nearly free expansion for centuries. Supernovae were thought to have non-relativistic outflows except for a few relativistic ones accompanied by GRBs. This clear division was blurred by SN 2009bb, the first supernova with a relativistic outflow without an observed GRB. However, the ejecta from SN 2009bb was baryon loaded and in nearly free expansion for a year, unlike GRBs. We report the first supernova discovered without a GRB but with rapidly decelerating mildly relativistic ejecta, SN 2012ap. We discovered a bright and rapidly evolving radio counterpart driven by the circumstellar interaction of the relativistic ejecta. However, we did not find any coincident GRB with an isotropic fluence of more than one-sixth of the fluence from GRB 980425. This shows for the first time that central engines in SNe Ic, even without an observed GRB, can produce both relativistic and rapidly decelerating outflows like GRBs.

Diffusive synchrotron radiation from pulsar wind nebulae

Diffusive synchrotron radiation (DSR) is produced by charged particles as they random walk in a stochastic magnetic field. The spectrum of the radiation produced by particles in such fields differs substantially from those of standard synchrotron emission because the corresponding particle trajectories deviate significantly from gyration in a regular field. The Larmor radius, therefore, is no longer a good measure of the particle trajectory. In this paper, we analyse a special DSR regime which arises as highly relativistic electrons move through magnetic fields which have only random structure on a wide range of spatial scales. Such stochastic fields arise in turbulent processes, and are likely present in pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). We show that DSR generated by a single population of electrons can reproduce the observed broad-band spectra of PWNe from the radio to the X-ray, in particular producing relatively flat spectrum radio emission as is usually observed in PWNe. DSR can explain the existence of several break frequencies in the broad-band emission spectrum without recourse to breaks in the energy spectrum of the relativistic particles. The shape of the radiation spectrum depends on the spatial spectrum of the stochastic magnetic field. The implications of the presented DSR regime for PWN physics are discussed.

PROGENITORS OF TYPE IIb SUPERNOVAE IN THE LIGHT OF RADIO AND X-RAYS FROM SN 2013df

We present radio and X-ray observations of the nearby Type IIb Supernova 2013df in NGC4414 from 10 to 250 days after the explosion. The radio emission showed a peculiar soft-to-hard spectral evolution. We present a model in which inverse Compton cooling of synchrotron emitting electrons can account for the observed spectral and light curve evolution. A significant mass loss rate,

The variability of the Crab nebula in radio: no radio counterpart to gamma-ray flares

\dot{M} \approx 8 \times 10^{-5}\,\rm M_{\odot}/yr

SN 1986J VLBI. III. The Central Component Becomes Dominant

for a wind velocity of 10 km/s, is estimated from the detailed modeling of radio and X-ray emission, which are primarily due to synchrotron and bremsstrahlung, respectively. We show that SN 2013df is similar to SN 1993J in various ways. The shock wave speed of SN 2013df was found to be average among the radio supernovae;