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Journal article
DIRECT CONFIRMATION OF THE ASYMMETRY OF THE CAS A SUPERNOVA WITH LIGHT ECHOES
The Astrophysical journal, v 732(1)
01 May 2011
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Abstract
We report the first detection of asymmetry in a supernova (SN) photosphere based on SN light echo (LE) spectra of Cas A from the different perspectives of dust concentrations on its LE ellipsoid. New LEs are reported based on difference images, and optical spectra of these LEs are analyzed and compared. After properly accounting for the effects of finite dust-filament extent and inclination, we find one field where the He I lambda 5876 and Ha features are blueshifted by an additional similar to 4000 km s(-1) relative to other spectra and to the spectra of the Type IIb SN 1993J. That same direction does not show any shift relative to other Cas A LE spectra in the Ca II near-infrared triplet feature. We compare the perspectives of the Cas A LE dust concentrations with recent three-dimensional modeling of the SN remnant (SNR) and note that the location having the blueshifted He I and Ha features is roughly in the direction of an Fe-rich outflow and in the opposite direction of the motion of the compact object at the center of the SNR. We conclude that Cas A was an intrinsically asymmetric SN. Future LE spectroscopy of this object, and of other historical SNe, will provide additional insight into the connection of the explosion mechanism to SN then to SNR, as well as give crucial observational evidence regarding how stars explode.
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Details
- Title
- DIRECT CONFIRMATION OF THE ASYMMETRY OF THE CAS A SUPERNOVA WITH LIGHT ECHOES
- Creators
- A. Rest - Harvard UniversityR. J. Foley - Center for Astrophysics Harvard & SmithsonianB. Sinnott - McMaster-CarrD. L. Welch - McMaster-CarrC. Badenes - Tel Aviv UniversityA. V. Filippenko - University of California, BerkeleyM. Bergmann - 6530 E. Clinton St., Scottsdale, AZ 85254W. A. Bhatti - Johns Hopkins UniversityS. Blondin - Canadian Nautical Research SocietyP. Challis - University of VirginiaG. Damke - University of VirginiaH. Finley - Drexel UniversityM. E. Huber - Johns Hopkins UniversityD. Kasen - University of California, Santa CruzR. P. Kirshner - Harvard University ,T. Matheson - National Radio Astronomy ObservatoryP. Mazzali - Max Planck Institute for AstrophysicsD. Minniti - Vatican ObservatoryR. Nakajima - University of California, BerkeleyG. Narayan - Harvard University ,K. Olsen - National Radio Astronomy ObservatoryD. Sauer - Stockholm UniversityR. C. Smith - National Radio Astronomy ObservatoryN. B. Suntzeff - Mitchell Institute
- Publication Details
- The Astrophysical journal, v 732(1)
- Publisher
- Iop Publishing Ltd
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics at Weizmann Institute of Science GO-11114 / NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute; Space Telescope Science Institute; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) NAS 5-26555 / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Goldberg Fellowship Program W. M. Keck Foundation; W.M. Keck Foundation AST-0907903 / NSF; National Science Foundation (NSF) TABASGO Foundation
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Medicine
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000289626500003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-79955672502
- Other Identifier
- 991019167834604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Astronomy & Astrophysics