A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) arise from the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs in multiple-star systems. A rare subclass of SNe Ia exhibit signatures of interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), allowing for direct constraints on companion material. While most known events show evidence fo...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adaf92 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850214684839378944 |
|---|---|
| author | Geoffrey Mo Kishalay De Eli Wiston Nayana A. J. Raffaella Margutti Danielle Frostig Jesper Sollerman Yashvi Sharma Takashi J. Moriya Kevin B. Burdge Jacob Jencson Viraj R. Karambelkar Nathan P. Lourie |
| author_facet | Geoffrey Mo Kishalay De Eli Wiston Nayana A. J. Raffaella Margutti Danielle Frostig Jesper Sollerman Yashvi Sharma Takashi J. Moriya Kevin B. Burdge Jacob Jencson Viraj R. Karambelkar Nathan P. Lourie |
| author_sort | Geoffrey Mo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) arise from the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs in multiple-star systems. A rare subclass of SNe Ia exhibit signatures of interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), allowing for direct constraints on companion material. While most known events show evidence for dense nearby CSM identified via peak-light spectroscopy (as SNe Ia-CSM), targeted late-time searches have revealed a handful of cases exhibiting delayed CSM interaction with detached shells. Here we present the first all-sky search for late CSM interaction in SNe Ia using a new image subtraction pipeline for mid-infrared data from the NEOWISE space telescope. Analyzing a sample of ≈8500 SNe Ia, we report evidence for late-time mid-infrared brightening in five previously overlooked events spanning subtypes SNe Iax, SNe Ia-91T, and super-Chandra SNe Ia. Our systematic search doubles the known sample and suggests that ≳0.05% of SNe Ia exhibit mid-infrared signatures of delayed CSM interaction. The mid-infrared light curves ubiquitously indicate the presence of multiple (or extended) detached CSM shells located at ≳10 ^16 –10 ^17 cm, containing 10 ^−6 to 10 ^−4 M _⊙ of dust, with some sources showing evidence for new dust formation, possibly within the cold, dense shell of the ejecta. We do not detect interaction signatures in spectroscopic and radio follow-up; however, the limits are largely consistent with previously confirmed events given the sensitivity and observation phase. Our results highlight that CSM interaction is more prevalent than previously estimated from optical and ultraviolet searches and that mid-infrared synoptic surveys provide a unique window into this phenomenon. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-775d68ea047341dc8f69a4a5e28a7731 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-775d68ea047341dc8f69a4a5e28a77312025-08-20T02:08:49ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019802L3310.3847/2041-8213/adaf92A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar InteractionGeoffrey Mo0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6331-112XKishalay De1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8989-0542Eli Wiston2https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4843-2913Nayana A. J.3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8070-5400Raffaella Margutti4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4768-7586Danielle Frostig5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7197-9004Jesper Sollerman6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1546-6615Yashvi Sharma7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4531-1745Takashi J. Moriya8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1169-1954Kevin B. Burdge9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7226-836XJacob Jencson10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5754-4007Viraj R. Karambelkar11https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2758-159XNathan P. Lourie12https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4585-9981MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , 70 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA ; gmo@mit.eduMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , 70 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA ; gmo@mit.eduDepartment of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720-3411, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720-3411, USADepartment of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720-3411, USA; Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley , 366 Physics North MC 7300, Berkeley, CA 94720, USACenter for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAThe Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University , AlbaNova, SE-10691 Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USANational Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan; Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies , SOKENDAI, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan; School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University , Clayton, VIC 3800, AustraliaMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , 70 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA ; gmo@mit.eduIPAC , Mail Code 100-22, Caltech, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USADivision of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USAMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , 70 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA ; gmo@mit.eduType Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) arise from the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs in multiple-star systems. A rare subclass of SNe Ia exhibit signatures of interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), allowing for direct constraints on companion material. While most known events show evidence for dense nearby CSM identified via peak-light spectroscopy (as SNe Ia-CSM), targeted late-time searches have revealed a handful of cases exhibiting delayed CSM interaction with detached shells. Here we present the first all-sky search for late CSM interaction in SNe Ia using a new image subtraction pipeline for mid-infrared data from the NEOWISE space telescope. Analyzing a sample of ≈8500 SNe Ia, we report evidence for late-time mid-infrared brightening in five previously overlooked events spanning subtypes SNe Iax, SNe Ia-91T, and super-Chandra SNe Ia. Our systematic search doubles the known sample and suggests that ≳0.05% of SNe Ia exhibit mid-infrared signatures of delayed CSM interaction. The mid-infrared light curves ubiquitously indicate the presence of multiple (or extended) detached CSM shells located at ≳10 ^16 –10 ^17 cm, containing 10 ^−6 to 10 ^−4 M _⊙ of dust, with some sources showing evidence for new dust formation, possibly within the cold, dense shell of the ejecta. We do not detect interaction signatures in spectroscopic and radio follow-up; however, the limits are largely consistent with previously confirmed events given the sensitivity and observation phase. Our results highlight that CSM interaction is more prevalent than previously estimated from optical and ultraviolet searches and that mid-infrared synoptic surveys provide a unique window into this phenomenon.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adaf92Type Ia supernovaeInfrared excessSupernovaeCommon envelope binary starsInteracting binary stars |
| spellingShingle | Geoffrey Mo Kishalay De Eli Wiston Nayana A. J. Raffaella Margutti Danielle Frostig Jesper Sollerman Yashvi Sharma Takashi J. Moriya Kevin B. Burdge Jacob Jencson Viraj R. Karambelkar Nathan P. Lourie A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction The Astrophysical Journal Letters Type Ia supernovae Infrared excess Supernovae Common envelope binary stars Interacting binary stars |
| title | A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction |
| title_full | A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction |
| title_fullStr | A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction |
| title_short | A Diverse, Overlooked Population of Type Ia Supernovae Exhibiting Mid-infrared Signatures of Delayed Circumstellar Interaction |
| title_sort | diverse overlooked population of type ia supernovae exhibiting mid infrared signatures of delayed circumstellar interaction |
| topic | Type Ia supernovae Infrared excess Supernovae Common envelope binary stars Interacting binary stars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adaf92 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT geoffreymo adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT kishalayde adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT eliwiston adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT nayanaaj adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT raffaellamargutti adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT daniellefrostig adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT jespersollerman adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT yashvisharma adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT takashijmoriya adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT kevinbburdge adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT jacobjencson adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT virajrkarambelkar adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT nathanplourie adiverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT geoffreymo diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT kishalayde diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT eliwiston diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT nayanaaj diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT raffaellamargutti diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT daniellefrostig diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT jespersollerman diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT yashvisharma diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT takashijmoriya diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT kevinbburdge diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT jacobjencson diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT virajrkarambelkar diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction AT nathanplourie diverseoverlookedpopulationoftypeiasupernovaeexhibitingmidinfraredsignaturesofdelayedcircumstellarinteraction |