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When the light from a distant object passes very near to a foreground galaxy or cluster, gravitational lensing can cause it to appear as multiple images on the sky. If the source is variable, it can be used to constrain the cosmic expansion rate and dark energy models. Achieving these cosmological goals requires many lensed transients with precise time delay measurements. Lensed supernovae (SN) are attractive for this purpose because they have relatively simple photometric behavior, with well-understood light curve shapes and colours $-$ in contrast to the stochastic variation of quasars. Here we report the discovery of a multiply-imaged supernova, AT2016jka ("SN Requiem"). It appeared in an evolved galaxy at $z=1.95$, gravitationally lensed by a foreground galaxy cluster. It is likely a Type Ia supernova $-$ the explosion of a low-mass stellar remnant, whose light curve can be used to measure cosmic distances. In archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging, three lensed images of the supernova are detected with relative time delays of $, Comment: Accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Main text = 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; Full document = 28 pages, 12 figures with Methods, Supplemental Info and references. v2: reformatted; minor corrections in SI

We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging of a pre-explosion counterpart to SN 2019yvr obtained 2.6 years before its explosion as a type Ib supernova (SN Ib). Aligning to a post-explosion Gemini-S/GSAOI image, we demonstrate that there is a single source consistent with being the SN 2019yvr progenitor system, the second SN Ib progenitor candidate after iPTF13bvn. We also analyzed pre-explosion Spitzer/IRAC imaging, but we do not detect any counterparts at the SN location. SN 2019yvr was highly reddened, and comparing its spectra and photometry to those of other, less extinguished SNe Ib we derive $E(B-V)=0.51\substack{+0.27\\-0.16}$ mag for SN 2019yvr. Correcting photometry of the pre-explosion source for dust reddening, we determine that this source is consistent with a $\log(L/L_{\odot}) = 5.3 \pm 0.2$ and $T_{\mathrm{eff}} = 6800\substack{+400\\-200}$ K star. This relatively cool photospheric temperature implies a radius of 320$\substack{+30\\-50} R_{\odot}$, much larger than expectations for SN Ib progenitor stars with trace amounts of hydrogen but in agreement with previously identified SN IIb progenitor systems. The photometry of the system is also consistent with binary star models that undergo common envelope evolution, leading to a primary star hydrogen envelope mass that is mostly depleted but seemingly in conflict with the SN Ib classification of SN 2019yvr. SN 2019yvr had signatures of strong circumstellar interaction in late-time ($>$150 day) spectra and imaging, and so we consider eruptive mass loss and common envelope evolution scenarios that explain the SN Ib spectroscopic class, pre-explosion counterpart, and dense circumstellar material. We also hypothesize that the apparent inflation could be caused by a quasi-photosphere formed in an extended, low-density envelope or circumstellar matter around the primary star., 22 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRAS

Studying galaxies at different cosmic epochs entails several observational effects that need to be taken into account to compare populations across a large time-span in a consistent manner. We use a sample of 166 nearby galaxies that hosted type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and have been observed with the integral field spectrograph MUSE as part of the AMUSING survey. Here, we present a study of the systematic errors and bias on the host stellar mass with increasing redshift, which are generally overlooked in SNe Ia cosmological analyses. We simulate observations at different redshifts (0.1 < z < 2.0) using four photometric bands (griz, similar to the Dark Energy Survey-SN program) to then estimate the host galaxy properties across cosmic time. We find that stellar masses are systematically underestimated as we move towards higher redshifts, due mostly to different rest-frame wavelength coverage, with differences reaching 0.3 dex at z ∼ 1. We used the newly derived corrections as a function of redshift to correct the stellar masses of a known sample of SN Ia hosts and derive cosmological parameters. We show that these corrections have a small impact on the derived cosmological parameters. The most affected is the value of the mass step ΔM, which is reduced by ∼0.004 (6% lower). The dark energy equation of state parameter w changes by Δw∼ 0.006 (0.6% higher) and the value of Ωm increases at most by 0.001 (∼0.3%), all within the derived uncertainties of the model. While the systematic error found in the estimate of the host stellar mass does not significantly affect the derived cosmological parameters, it is an important source of systematic error that needs to be corrected for as we enter a new era of precision cosmology., This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the research grant UIDB/00099/2020 and the CRISP project PTDC/FIS-AST-31546/2017. L.G. acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) under the 2019 Ramón y Cajal program RYC2019-027683 and from the Spanish MICIU project HOSTFLOWS PID2020-115253GA-I00. CRA was supported by grants from VILLUM FONDEN (project numbers 16599 and 25501). J.D.L. acknowledges support from a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/T020784/1). Computations were performed at the cluster “Baltasar-Sete-Sóis”, supported by the H2020 ERC Grant “Matter and strong field gravity: New frontiers in Einstein’s theory” grant agreement no. MaGRaTh-646597, and at COIN, the CosmoStatistics Initiative, whose purchase was made possible due to a CNRS MOMENTUM 2018–2020 under the project “Active Learning for large scale sky surveys”. This work was only possible by the use of the following PYTHON packages: NumPy & SciPy (Walt et al. 2011; Jones et al. 2001), Matplotlib (Hunter 2007), and Astropy (Astropy Collaboration et al. 2013).

We present the Young Supernova Experiment Data Release 1 (YSE DR1), comprised of processed multi-color Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) griz and Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) gr photometry of 1975 transients with host-galaxy associations, redshifts, spectroscopic/photometric classifications, and additional data products from 2019 November 24 to 2021 December 20. YSE DR1 spans discoveries and observations from young and fast-rising supernovae (SNe) to transients that persist for over a year, with a redshift distribution reaching z~0.5. We present relative SN rates from YSE's magnitude- and volume-limited surveys, which are consistent with previously published values within estimated uncertainties for untargeted surveys. We combine YSE and ZTF data, and create multi-survey SN simulations to train the ParSNIP and SuperRAENN photometric classification algorithms; when validating our ParSNIP classifier on 472 spectroscopically classified YSE DR1 SNe, we achieve 82% accuracy across three SN classes (SNe Ia, II, Ib/Ic) and 90% accuracy across two SN classes (SNe Ia, core-collapse SNe). Our classifier performs particularly well on SNe Ia, with high (>90%) individual completeness and purity, which will help build an anchor photometric SNe Ia sample for cosmology. We then use our photometric classifier to characterize our photometric sample of 1483 SNe, labeling 1048 (~71%) SNe Ia, 339 (~23%) SNe II, and 96 (~6%) SNe Ib/Ic. YSE DR1 provides a training ground for building discovery, anomaly detection, and classification algorithms, performing cosmological analyses, understanding the nature of red and rare transients, exploring tidal disruption events and nuclear variability, and preparing for the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time., Accepted to ApJS; 64 pages; 35 figures; 10 tables

DES Collaboration: T. M. C. Abbott et al., We present the first cosmology results from large-scale structure using the full 5000 deg2 of imaging data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Data Release 1. We perform an analysis of large-scale structure combining three two-point correlation functions (3×2pt): (i) cosmic shear using 100 million source galaxies, (ii) galaxy clustering, and (iii) the cross-correlation of source galaxy shear with lens galaxy positions, galaxy–galaxy lensing. To achieve the cosmological precision enabled by these measurements has required updates to nearly every part of the analysis from DES Year 1, including the use of two independent galaxy clustering samples, modeling advances, and several novel improvements in the calibration of gravitational shear and photometric redshift inference. The analysis was performed under strict conditions to mitigate confirmation or observer bias; we describe specific changes made to the lens galaxy sample following unblinding of the results and tests of the robustness of our results to this decision. We model the data within the flat ΛCDM and wCDM cosmological models, marginalizing over 25 nuisance parameters. We find consistent cosmological results between the three two-point correlation functions; their combination yields clustering amplitude S8=0.776+0.017−0.017 and matter density Ωm=0.339+0.032−0.031 in ΛCDM, mean with 68% confidence limits; S8=0.775+0.026−0.024, Ωm=0.352+0.035−0.041, and dark energy equation-of-state parameter w=−0.98+0.32−0.20 in wCDM. These constraints correspond to an improvement in signal-to-noise of the DES Year 3 3×2pt data relative to DES Year 1 by a factor of 2.1, about 20% more than expected from the increase in observing area alone. This combination of DES data is consistent with the prediction of the model favored by the Planck 2018 cosmic microwave background (CMB) primary anisotropy data, which is quantified with a probability-to-exceed p=0.13–0.48. We find better agreement between DES 3×2pt and Planck than in DES Y1, despite the significantly improved precision of both. When combining DES 3×2pt data with available baryon acoustic oscillation, redshift-space distortion, and type Ia supernovae data, we find p=0.34. Combining all of these datasets with Planck CMB lensing yields joint parameter constraints of S8=0.812+0.008−0.008, Ωm=0.306+0.004−0.005, h=0.680+0.004−0.003, and ∑mν, Funding for the DES Projects has been provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Education of Spain, the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, the Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics at the Ohio State University, the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and the Ministerio da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Collaborating Institutions in the Dark Energy Survey. The Collaborating Institutions are Argonne National Laboratory, the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Cambridge, Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas-Madrid, the University of Chicago, University College London, the DES-Brazil Consortium, the University of Edinburgh, the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Institut de Ci`encies de l’Espai (IEEC/CSIC), the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München and the associated Excellence Cluster Universe, the University of Michigan, NFS’s NOIRLab, the University of Nottingham, The Ohio State University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Portsmouth, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, the University of Sussex, Texas A&M University, and the OzDES Membership Consortium. Based in part on observations at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory at NSF’s NOIRLab (NOIRLab Prop. ID 2012B-0001; PI: J. Frieman), which is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The DES data management system is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. AST-1138766 and No. AST-1536171. The DES participants from Spanish institutions are partially supported by MICINN under grants No. ESP2017-89838, No. PGC2018-094773, No. PGC2018-102021, No. SEV-2016-0588, No. SEV-2016-0597, and No. MDM-2015-0509, some of which include ERDF funds from the European Union. I. F. A. E. E. is partially funded by the CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) including ERC grant agreements No. 240672, No. 291329, and No. 306478.We acknowledge support from the Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) do e-Universo (CNPq grant No. 465376/2014-2). This manuscript has been authored by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics. This research used resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. This work also used resources on Duke Compute Cluster (DCC), the CCAPP condo of the Ruby Cluster at the Ohio Supercomputing Center [232], and computing resources at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We also thank the staff of the Fermilab Computing Sector for their support. Plots in this manuscript were produced partly with MATPLOTLIB [233], and it has been prepared using NASA’s Astrophysics Data System Bibliographic Services.

Context. The [Mg/Fe] abundance ratios are a fundamental fossil signature to trace the chemical evolution of the disc. Despite of the huge observational and theoretical effort, discrepancies between models and data are still present and several explanations have been put forward to explain the [$\alpha$/Fe] bimodality. Aims. In this work, we take advantage of a new AMBRE:HARPS dataset, which provides new and more precise [Mg/Fe] estimations, as well as reliable stellar ages for a subsample of stars, to study the evolution of the solar neighbourhood. Methods. The above data are compared with detailed chemical evolution models for the Milky Way, exploring the most used prescriptions for stellar yields and different formation scenarios for the Galactic disc, i.e. the delayed two-infall and the parallel model, also including prescriptions for stellar radial migration. Results. We see that most of the stellar yields struggle to reproduce the observed trend of the data and that semi-empirical yields are still the best to describe the [Mg/Fe] evolution in the thick and thin discs. In particular, most of the yields still predict a steeper decrease of the [Mg/Fe] ratio at high metallicity than what is shown by the data. The bulk of the data are well reproduced by the parallel and two-infall scenarios, but both scenarios have problems in explaining the most metal-rich and metal-poor tails of the low-$\alpha$ data. These tails can be explained in light of radial migration from inner and outer disc regions, respectively. Conclusions. Despite of the evidence of stellar migration, it is difficult to estimate the actual contribution of stars from other parts of the disc to the solar vicinity. However, the comparison between data and models suggests that peculiar histories of star formation, such as that of the two-infall model, are still needed to reproduce the observed distribution of stars., Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A)

We present the analysis of SN 2020wnt, an unusual hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova (SLSN-I), at a redshift of 0.032. The light curves of SN 2020wnt are characterized by an early bump lasting ∼5 d, followed by a bright main peak. The SN reaches a peak absolute magnitude of Mmaxr=−20.52±0.03 mag at ∼77.5 d from explosion. This magnitude is at the lower end of the luminosity distribution of SLSNe-I, but the rise-time is one of the longest reported to date. Unlike other SLSNe-I, the spectra of SN 2020wnt do not show O II, but strong lines of C II and Si II are detected. Spectroscopically, SN 2020wnt resembles the Type Ic SN 2007gr, but its evolution is significantly slower. Comparing the bolometric light curve to hydrodynamical models, we find that SN 2020wnt luminosity can be explained by radioactive powering. The progenitor of SN 2020wnt is likely a massive and extended star with a pre-SN mass of 80 M⊙ and a pre-SN radius of 15 R⊙ that experiences a very energetic explosion of 45 × 1051 erg, producing 4 M⊙ of 56Ni. In this framework, the first peak results from a post-shock cooling phase for an extended progenitor, and the luminous main peak is due to a large nickel production. These characteristics are compatible with the pair-instability SN scenario. We note, however, that a significant contribution of interaction with circumstellar material cannot be ruled out., MB and MO acknowledge support from UNRN PI2020 40B885 and grant PICT-2020-SERIEA-01141 and PIP 112-202001-10034. AR acknowledges support from ANID BECAS/DOCTORADO NACIONAL 21202412. TMR acknowledges the financial support of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. NER acknowledges partial support from MIUR, PRIN 2017 (grant 20179ZF5KS), from the Spanish MICINN grant PID2019-108709GB-I00 and FEDER funds, and from the program Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2020-001058-M. MF is supported by a Royal Society – Science Foundation Ireland University Research Fellowship. SM acknowledges support from the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation and the Vilho, Yrjö and Kalle Väisälä Foundation. MS was a visiting astronomer at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under contract 80HQTR19D0030 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. XW is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC grants 12033003 and 11633002), the Scholar Program of Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (DZ:BS202002), and the Tencent Xplorer Prize. JZ is supported by the NSFC (grants 12173082, 11773067), by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the CAS (grant 2018081), and by the Ten Thousand Talents Program of Yunnan for Top-notch Young Talents. Funding for the LJT has been provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences and the People’s Government of Yunnan Province. The LJT is jointly operated and administrated by Yunnan Observatories and Center for Astronomical Mega-Science, CAS. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC grants 12033003, 11633002, 11325313, and 11761141001), the National Program on Key Research and Development Project (grant no. 2016YFA0400803). This work is partially supported by China Manned Spaced Project (CMS-CSST-2021-A12). This work is funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (grant no. 2021M691821).

Comparing Galactic chemical evolution models to the observed elemental abundances in the Milky Way, we show that neutron star mergers can be a leading r-process site only if at low metallicities such mergers have very short delay times and significant ejecta masses that are facilitated by the masses of the compact objects. Namely, black hole-neutron star mergers, depending on the black-hole spins, can play an important role in the early chemical enrichment of the Milky Way. We also show that none of the binary population synthesis models used in this paper, i.e., COMPAS, StarTrack, Brussels, ComBinE, and BPASS, can currently reproduce the elemental abundance observations. The predictions are problematic not only for neutron star mergers, but also for Type Ia supernovae, which may point to shortcomings in binary evolution models., Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 15 pages, 4 figures, 1 table

This paper has gone through internal review by the DES collaboration. It has Fermilab preprint number 19-115-AE and DES publication number 13387. We acknowledge support from EU/FP7- ERC grant 615929. RCN would like to acknowledge support from STFC grant ST/N000688/1 and the Faculty of Technology at the University of Portsmouth. LG was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme under the Marie Skłodowska- Curie grant agreement no. 839090. This work has been partially supported by the Spanish grant PGC2018-095317-B-C21 within the European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER). Funding for the DES Projects has been provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Education of Spain, the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, the Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics at the Ohio State University, the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Fundac¸ ˜ao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo `a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient´ıfico e Tecnol´ogico and the Minist´erio da Ciˆencia, Tecnologia e Inovac¸ ˜ao, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the Collaborating Institutions in the Dark Energy Survey. The Collaborating Institutions are Argonne National Laboratory, the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Cambridge, Centro de Investigaciones Energ´eticas, Medioambientales y Tecnol ´ogicas-Madrid, the University of Chicago, University College London, the DES-Brazil Consortium, the University of Edinburgh, the Eidgen¨ossische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Z¨urich, Fermi NationalAccelerator Laboratory, theUniversity of Illinois atUrbana- Champaign, the Institut de Ci`encies de l’Espai (IEEC/CSIC), the Institut de F´ısica d’Altes Energies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Ludwig-Maximilians Universit¨at M¨unchen and the associated Excellence Cluster Universe, the University of Michigan, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the University of Nottingham, The Ohio State University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Portsmouth, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, the University of Sussex, Texas A&M University, and the OzDES Membership Consortium. Based in part on observations at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The DES data management system is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant numbers AST-1138766 and AST-1536171. The DES participants from Spanish institutions are partially supported by MINECO under grants AYA2015- 71825, ESP2015-66861, FPA2015-68048, SEV-2016-0588, SEV- 2016-0597, and MDM-2015-0509, some of which include ERDF funds from the European Union. IFAE is partially funded by the CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) including ERC grant agreements 240672, 291329, and 306478.We acknowledge support from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-skyAstrophysics (CAASTRO), through project number CE110001020, and the Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Ciˆencia e Tecnologia (INCT) e-Universe (CNPq grant 465376/2014-2). This paper has been authored by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No.DE-AC02-07CH11359 with theU.S.Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the paper for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this paper, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes., We present the first Hubble diagram of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) out to a redshift of two, together with constraints on the matter density, M, and the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, w(≡p/ρ). We build a sample of 20 cosmologically useful SLSNe I based on light curve and spectroscopy quality cuts. We confirm the robustness of the peak–decline SLSN I standardization relation with a larger data set and improved fitting techniques than previous works. We then solve the SLSN model based on the above standardization via minimization of the χ2 computed from a covariance matrix that includes statistical and systematic uncertainties. For a spatially flat cold dark matter ( CDM) cosmological model, we find M = 0.38+0.24 −0.19, with an rms of 0.27 mag for the residuals of the distance moduli. For a w0waCDM cosmological model, the addition of SLSNe I to a ‘baseline’ measurement consisting of Planck temperature together with Type Ia supernovae, results in a small improvement in the constraints of w0 and wa of 4 per cent.We present simulations of future surveys with 868 and 492 SLSNe I (depending on the configuration used) and show that such a sample can deliver cosmological constraints in a flat CDM model with the same precision (considering only statistical uncertainties) as current surveys that use Type Ia supernovae, while providing a factor of 2–3 improvement in the precision of the constraints on the time variation of dark energy, w0 and wa. This paper represents the proof of concept for superluminous supernova cosmology, and demonstrates they can provide an independent test of cosmology in the high-redshift (z > 1) universe., EU/FP7-ERC grant 615929, STFC grant ST/N000688/1, Faculty of Technology at the University of Portsmouth, European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme under the Marie Skłodowska- Curie grant agreement no. 839090, Spanish grant PGC2018-095317-B-C21 within the European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER), U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Science Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education of Spain, Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, Higher Education Funding Council for England, National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics at the Ohio State University, Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Fundacão Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo `a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and the Ministério da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacão, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Collaborating Institutions in the Dark Energy Survey., National Science Foundation under grant numbers AST-1138766 and AST-1536171., T MINECO under grants AYA2015- 71825, ESP2015-66861, FPA2015-68048, SEV-2016-0588, SEV- 2016-0597, and MDM-2015-0509, some of which include ERDF funds from the European Union., CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya., European Research Council under the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) including ERC grant agreements 240672, 291329, and 306478., Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-skyAstrophysics (CAASTRO), through project number CE110001020, Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Ciˆencia e Tecnologia (INCT) e-Universe (CNPq grant 465376/2014-2), Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No.DE-AC02-07CH11359 with theU.S.Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics

Redshifts used in current cosmological supernova samples are measured using two primary techniques, one based on well-measured host galaxy spectral lines and the other based on supernova-dominated spectra. Here, we construct an updated Pantheon catalog with revised redshifts, redshift sources and estimated uncertainties for the entire sample to investigate whether these two techniques yield consistent results. The best-fit cosmological parameters using these two measurement techniques disagree, with a supernova-only sample producing $\Omega_m$ 3.2$\sigma$ higher and $H_0$ 2.5$\sigma$ lower than a hostz-only sample, and we explore several possible sources of bias which could result from using the lower-precision supernova-dominated redshifts. In a pilot study, we show that using a host redshift-only subsample will generically produce lower $\Omega_m$ and matter density $\Omega_m h^2$ and slightly higher $H_0$ than previous analysis which, for the Pantheon dataset, could result in supernova and CMB measurements agreeing on $\Omega_m h^2$ despite tension in $H_0$. To obtain rigorous results, though, the Pantheon catalog should be improved by obtaining host spectra for supernova that have faded and future surveys should be designed to use host galaxy redshifts rather than lower-precision methods., Comment: 13 pages

Angus, C. R., et al. (DES Collaboration), We present a sample of 21 hydrogen-free superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) and one hydrogen-rich SLSN (SLSN-II) detected during the five-year Dark Energy Survey (DES). These SNe, located in the redshift range 0.220 < z < 1.998, represent the largest homogeneously selected sample of SLSN events at high redshift. We present the observed g, r, i, z light curves for these SNe, which we interpolate using Gaussian processes. The resulting light curves are analysed to determine the luminosity function of SLSNe-I, and their evolutionary timescales. The DES SLSN-I sample significantly broadens the distribution of SLSN-I light-curve properties when combined with existing samples from the literature. We fit a magnetar model to our SLSNe, and find that this model alone is unable to replicate the behaviour of many of the bolometric light curves. We search the DES SLSN-I light curves for the presence of initial peaks prior to the main light-curve peak. Using a shock breakout model, our Monte Carlo search finds that 3 of our 14 events with pre-max data display such initial peaks. However, 10 events show no evidence for such peaks, in some cases down to an absolute magnitude of, The DES data management system is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers AST-1138766 and AST-1536171. The DES participants from Spanish institutions are partially supported by MINECO under grants AYA2015-71825,ESP2015-66861,FPA2015-68048,SEV-2016-0588,SEV-2016-0597, and MDM-2015-0509, some of which include ERDF funds from the European Union. IFAE is partially funded by the CERCA programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) including ERC grant agreements 240672, 291329, and 306478. We acknowledge support from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), through project number CE110001020, and the Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) e-Universe (CNPq grant 465376/2014-2).

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta, Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overview

Past high-energy density laboratory experiments provided insights into the physics of supernovae, supernova remnants, and the destruction of interstellar clouds. In a typical experimental setting, a laser-driven planar blast wave interacts with a compositionally-homogeneous spherical or cylindrical target. In this work we propose a new laboratory platform that accounts for curvature of the impacting shock and density stratification of the target. Both characteristics reflect the conditions expected to exist shortly after a supernova explosion in a close binary system. We provide details of a proposed experimental design (laser drive, target configuration, diagnostic system), optimized to capture the key properties of recent ejecta-companion interaction models. Good qualitative agreement found between our experimental models and their astrophysical counterparts highlights strong potential of the proposed design to probe details of the ejecta-companion interaction for broad classes of objects by means of high energy density laboratory experiments., 13 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present an analysis of the final data release of the Carnegie Supernova Project I, focusing on the absolute calibration of the luminosity-decline-rate relation for Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) using new intrinsic color relations with respect to the color-stretch parameter, $s_{BV}$, enabling improved dust extinction corrections. We investigate to what degree the so-called fast-declining SNeIa can be used to determine accurate extragalactic distances. We estimate the intrinsic scatter in the luminosity-decline-rate relation, and find it ranges from $\pm 0.13$ mag to $\pm 0.18$ mag with no obvious dependence on wavelength. Using the Cepheid variable star data from the SH0ES project (Riess et al., 2016), the SNIa distance scale is calibrated and the Hubble constant is estimated using our optical and near-infrared sample, and these results are compared to those determined exclusively from a near-infrared sub-sample. The systematic effect of the supernova's host galaxy mass is investigated as a function of wavelength and is found to decrease toward redder wavelengths, suggesting this effect may be due to dust properties of the host. Using estimates of the dust extinction derived from optical and NIR wavelengths, and applying these to H band, we derive a Hubble constant $H_0 = 73.2 \pm 2.3$ km/s/Mpc, whereas using a simple $B-V$ color-correction applied to B band yields $H_0 = 72.7 \pm 2.1$ km/s/Mpc. Photometry of two calibrating SNeIa from the CSP-II sample, SN2012ht and SN2015F, is presented and used to improve the calibration of the SNIa distance ladder., Comment: Version 2: fixed author list. Originally submitted to ApJ Aug 30, 2018. Re-submitted Sept 12, 2018 following referee's report. 28 pages, 12 figures, 11 tables

In this paper we introduce a block-structured adaptive mesh refinement software framework that incorporates tiling, a well-known loop transformation. Because the multiscale, multiphysics codes built in boxlib are designed to solve complex systems at high resolution, performance on current and next generation architectures is essential. With the expectation of many more cores per node on next generation architectures, the ability to effectively utilize threads within a node is essential, and the current model for parallelization will not be sufficient. We describe a new version of boxlib in which the tiling constructs are embedded so that boxlib-based applications can easily realize expected performance gains without extra effort on the part of the application developer. We also discuss a path forward to enable future versions of boxlib to take advantage of NUMA-aware optimizations using the tida portable library., Exascale Co-Design Program of the DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research under U.S. Department of Energy; Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK); Marie Sklodowska Curie Reintegration Grant by the European Commission; SciDAC Program

In the last decade, astronomers have found a new type of supernova called `superluminous supernovae' (SLSNe) due to their high peak luminosity and long light-curves. These hydrogen-free explosions (SLSNe-I) can be seen to z~4 and therefore, offer the possibility of probing the distant Universe. We aim to investigate the possibility of detecting SLSNe-I using ESA's Euclid satellite, scheduled for launch in 2020. In particular, we study the Euclid Deep Survey (EDS) which will provide a unique combination of area, depth and cadence over the mission. We estimated the redshift distribution of Euclid SLSNe-I using the latest information on their rates and spectral energy distribution, as well as known Euclid instrument and survey parameters, including the cadence and depth of the EDS. We also applied a standardization method to the peak magnitudes to create a simulated Hubble diagram to explore possible cosmological constraints. We show that Euclid should detect approximately 140 high-quality SLSNe-I to z ~ 3.5 over the first five years of the mission (with an additional 70 if we lower our photometric classification criteria). This sample could revolutionize the study of SLSNe-I at z>1 and open up their use as probes of star-formation rates, galaxy populations, the interstellar and intergalactic medium. In addition, a sample of such SLSNe-I could improve constraints on a time-dependent dark energy equation-of-state, namely w(a), when combined with local SLSNe-I and the expected SN Ia sample from the Dark Energy Survey. We show that Euclid will observe hundreds of SLSNe-I for free. These luminous transients will be in the Euclid data-stream and we should prepare now to identify them as they offer a new probe of the high-redshift Universe for both astrophysics and cosmology., Paper accepted by A&A, abstract abridged. This paper is published on behalf of the Euclid Consortium

We examine the early phase intrinsic $(B-V)_{0}$ color evolution of a dozen Type~Ia supernovae discovered within three days of the inferred time of first light ($t_{first}$) and have $(B-V)_0$ color information beginning within 5 days of $t_{first}$. The sample indicates there are two distinct early populations. The first is a population exhibiting blue colors that slowlybevolve, and the second population exhibits red colors and evolves more rapidly. We find that the early-blue events are all 1991T/1999aa-like with more luminous slower declining light curves than those exhibiting early-red colors. Placing the first sample on the Branch diagram (i.e., ratio of \ion{Si}{2} $\lambda\lambda$5972, 6355 pseudo-Equivalent widths) indicates all blue objects are of the Branch Shallow Silicon (SS) spectral type, while all early-red events except for the 2000cx-like SN~2012fr are of the Branch Core-Normal (CN) or CooL (CL) type. A number of potential processes contributing to the early emission are explored, and we find that, in general, the viewing-angle dependance inherent in the companion collision model is inconsistent with all SS objects with early-time observations being blue and exhibiting an excess. We caution that great care must be taken when interpreting early-phase light curves as there may be a variety of physical processes that are possibly at play and significant theoretical work remains to be done., Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters. Replaced with updated manuscript including responses to referee's comments

We present 888 visual-wavelength spectra of 122 nearby type II supernovae (SNe II) obtained between 1986 and 2009, and ranging between 3 and 363 days post-explosion. In this first paper, we outline our observations and data reduction techniques, together with a characterization based on the spectral diversity of SNe II. A statistical analysis of the spectral matching technique is discussed as an alternative to nondetection constraints for estimating SN explosion epochs. The time evolution of spectral lines is presented and analyzed in terms of how this differs for SNe of different photometric, spectral, and environmental properties: velocities, pseudo-equivalent widths, decline rates, magnitudes, time durations, and environment metallicity. Our sample displays a large range in ejecta expansion velocities, from ∼9600 to ∼1500 km s-1 at 50 days post-explosion with a median Hα value of 7300 km s-1. This is most likely explained through differing explosion energies. Significant diversity is also observed in the absolute strength of spectral lines, characterized through their pseudo-equivalent widths. This implies significant diversity in both temperature evolution (linked to progenitor radius) and progenitor metallicity between different SNe II. Around 60% of our sample shows an extra absorption component on the blue side of the Hα P-Cygni profile ("Cachito" feature) between 7 and 120 days since explosion. Studying the nature of Cachito, we conclude that these features at early times (before ∼35 days) are associated with Si ii λ6355, while past the middle of the plateau phase they are related to high velocity (HV) features of hydrogen lines., Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata

If the FRW metric is a good approximation on large scales, then the distance and the expansion rate, as well different notions of distance, satisfy certain consistency conditions. We fit the JLA SNIa distance data to determine the expected amplitude of the violation of these conditions if accelerated expansion is due to backreaction. Adding cosmic clock and BAO expansion rate data, we also model-independently determine the current observational limits on such violation. We find that the predicted maximum backreaction amplitude $|k_H|\lesssim1$ (95% C.I.) is of the same order as the current observational constraints $|k_H|\lesssim1$, the precise numbers depending on the adopted fitting method (polynomials or splines) and stellar population evolution model. We also find that constraints on the value of $H_0$ determined from expansion rate data are sensitive to the stellar evolution model. We forecast constraints from projected LSST+Euclid-like SNIa plus Euclid galaxy differential age data. We find improvement by factor of 6 for the backreaction case and 3 for the model-independent case, probing an interesting region of possible signatures., 37 pages, 10 figures. The SAMP code is available at http://fmnt.info/projects/

In a project aimed at measuring the optical Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) we are using the shadow of a dark cloud.We have performed, with the ESO VLT/FORS, spectrophotometry of the surface brightness towards the high-galactic-latitude dark cloud Lynds 1642. A spectrum representing the difference between the opaque core of the cloud and several unobscured positions around the cloud was presented in Paper I (Mattila et al. 2017a). The topic of the present paper is the separation of the scattered starlight from the dark cloud itself which is the only remaining foreground component in this difference. While the scattered starlight spectrum has the characteristic Fraunhofer lines and the discontinuity at 400 nm, typical of integrated light of galaxies, the EBL spectrum is a smooth one without these features. As template for the scattered starlight we make use of the spectra at two semi-transparent positions. The resulting EBL intensity at 400 nm is $I_{\rm EBL} = 2.9\pm1.1$ $10^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$\AA$^{-1}$, or $11.6\pm4.4$ nW m$^{-2}$sr$^{-1}$, which represents a 2.6$\sigma$ detection; the scaling uncertainty is +20%/-16%. At 520 nm we have set a 2$\sigma$ upper limit of $I_{\rm EBL} \le$4.5 $10^{-9}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$sr$^{-1}$\AA$^{-1}$ or $\le$23.4 nW m$^{-2}$sr$^{-1}$ +20%/-16%. Our EBL value at 400 nm is $\ge 2$ times as high as the integrated light of galaxies. No known diffuse light sources, such as light from Milky Way halo, intra-cluster or intra-group stars appear capable of explaining the observed EBL excess over the integrated light of galaxies., Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We propose that the high energy Cosmic Ray particles up to the upturn commonly called the ankle, from around the spectral turn-down commonly called the knee, mostly come from Blue Supergiant star explosions. At the upturn, i.e., the ankle, Cosmic Rays probably switch to another source class, most likely extragalactic sources. To show this we recently compiled a set of Radio Supernova data where we compute the magnetic field, shock speed and shock radius. This list included both Blue and Red Supergiant star explosions; both data show the same magnetic field strength for these two classes of stars despite very different wind densities and velocities. Using particle acceleration theory at shocks, those numbers can be transformed into characteristic ankle and knee energies. Without adjusting any free parameters both of these observed energies are directly indicated by the supernova data. In the next step in the argument, we use the Supernova Remnant data of the starburst galaxy M82. We apply this analysis to Blue Supergiant star explosions: The shock will race to their outer edge with a magnetic field that is observed to follow over several orders of magnitude B ( r ) × r ∼ c o n s t . , with in fact the same magnetic field strength for such stellar explosions in our Galaxy, and other galaxies including M82. The speed is observed to be ∼0.1 c out to about 10 16 cm radius in the plasma wind. The Supernova shock can run through the entire magnetic plasma wind region at full speed all the way out to the wind-shell, which is of order parsec scale in M82. We compare and identify the Cosmic Ray spectrum in other galaxies, in the starburst galaxy M82 and in our Galaxy with each other; we suggest how Blue Supergiant star explosions can provide the Cosmic Ray particles across the knee and up to the ankle energy range. The data from the ISS-CREAM (Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass Experiment at the International Space Station) mission will test this cosmic ray concept which is reasonably well grounded in two independent radio supernova data sets. The next step in developing our understanding will be to obtain future more accurate Cosmic Ray data near to the knee, and to use unstable isotopes of Cosmic Ray nuclei at high energy to probe the “piston„ driving the explosion. We plan to incorporate these data with the physics of the budding black hole which is probably forming in each of these stars.

A new possible explanation to the luminosity distance (DL) and redshift (Z) measurements of type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) is developed. Instead of modifying the theory of general relativity or the Friedmann equation of cosmology with an extra scalar field or unknown energy component (e.g., dark energy), we re-examine the relationship between the luminosity distance and the cosmological redshift (DL Z). It is found that the DL Z relation previously applied to connect the cosmological model with the measured SNeIa data is only valid for nearby objects with Z ≪ 1. The luminosity distances of all distant SNela with Z ≳ 1 had been underestimated. The newly derived DL Z relation has an extra factor p 1 + Z, with which the cosmological model exactly explains all the SNeIa measurements without dark energy. This result indicates that our universe has not accelerated and does not need dark energy at all.

Estimates of the Hubble constant, $H_0$, from the distance ladder and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) differ at the $\sim$3-$\sigma$ level, indicating a potential issue with the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. Interpreting this tension correctly requires a model comparison calculation depending on not only the traditional `$n$-$\sigma$' mismatch but also the tails of the likelihoods. Determining the form of the tails of the local $H_0$ likelihood is impossible with the standard Gaussian least-squares approximation, as it requires using non-Gaussian distributions to faithfully represent anchor likelihoods and model outliers in the Cepheid and supernova (SN) populations, and simultaneous fitting of the full distance-ladder dataset to correctly propagate uncertainties. We have developed a Bayesian hierarchical model that describes the full distance ladder, from nearby geometric anchors through Cepheids to Hubble-Flow SNe. This model does not rely on any distributions being Gaussian, allowing outliers to be modeled and obviating the need for arbitrary data cuts. Sampling from the $\sim$3000-parameter joint posterior using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, we find $H_0$ = (72.72 $\pm$ 1.67) ${\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ when applied to the outlier-cleaned Riess et al. (2016) data, and ($73.15 \pm 1.78$) ${\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ with SN outliers reintroduced. Our high-fidelity sampling of the low-$H_0$ tail of the distance-ladder likelihood allows us to apply Bayesian model comparison to assess the evidence for deviation from $\Lambda$CDM. We set up this comparison to yield a lower limit on the odds of the underlying model being $\Lambda$CDM given the distance-ladder and Planck XIII (2016) CMB data. The odds against $\Lambda$CDM are at worst 10:1 or 7:1, depending on whether the SNe outliers are cut or modeled, or 60:1 if an approximation to the Planck Int. XLVI (2016) likelihood is used., Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, matches version submitted to MNRAS. The model code used in this analysis is available for download at https://github.com/sfeeney/hh0

Context. Spectral modelling of type II supernova atmospheres indicates a clear dependence of metal line strengths on progenitor metallicity. This dependence motivates further work to evaluate the accuracy with which these supernovae can be used as environment metallicity indicators. Aims. To assess this accuracy we present a sample of type II supernova host H II-region spectroscopy, from which environment oxygen abundances have been derived. These environment abundances are compared to the observed strength of metal lines in supernova spectra. Methods. Combining our sample with measurements from the literature, we present oxygen abundances of 119 host H II regions by extracting emission line fluxes and using abundance diagnostics. These abundances are then compared to equivalent widths of Fe II 5018 Å at various time and colour epochs. Results. Our distribution of inferred type II supernova host H II-region abundances has a range of ∼0.6 dex. We confirm the dearth of type II supernovae exploding at metallicities lower than those found (on average) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The equivalent width of Fe II 5018 Å at 50 days post-explosion shows a statistically significant correlation with host H II-region oxygen abundance. The strength of this correlation increases if one excludes abundance measurements derived far from supernova explosion sites. The correlation significance also increases if we only analyse a "gold" IIP sample, and if a colour epoch is used in place of time. In addition, no evidence is found of a correlation between progenitor metallicity and supernova light-curve or spectral properties - except for that stated above with respect to Fe II 5018 Å equivalent widths - suggesting progenitor metallicity is not a driving factor in producing the diversity that is observed in our sample. Conclusions. This study provides observational evidence of the usefulness of type II supernovae as metallicity indicators. We finish with a discussion of the methodology needed to use supernova spectra as independent metallicity diagnostics throughout the Universe., Este documento tiene una corrección (ver documento relacionado)., Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata

Shifting the focus of Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) cosmology to the near-infrared (NIR) is a promising way to significantly reduce the systematic errors, as the strategy minimizes our reliance on the empirical width-luminosity relation and uncertain dust laws. Observations in the NIR are also crucial for our understanding of the origins and evolution of these events, further improving their cosmological utility. Any future experiments in the rest-frame NIR will require knowledge of the SN Ia NIR spectroscopic diversity, which is currently based on a small sample of observed spectra. Along with the accompanying paper, Phillips et al. (2018), we introduce the Carnegie Supernova Project-II (CSP-II), to follow up nearby SNe Ia in both the optical and the NIR. In particular, this paper focuses on the CSP-II NIR spectroscopy program, describing the survey strategy, instrumental setups, data reduction, sample characteristics, and future analyses on the data set. In collaboration with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) Supernova Group, we obtained 661 NIR spectra of 157 SNe Ia. Within this sample, 451 NIR spectra of 90 SNe Ia have corresponding CSP-II follow-up light curves. Such a sample will allow detailed studies of the NIR spectroscopic properties of SNe Ia, providing a different perspective on the properties of the unburned material, radioactive and stable nickel produced, progenitor magnetic fields, and searches for possible signatures of companion stars., 20 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PASP

We present a Hubble diagram of SNe II using corrected magnitudes derived only from photometry, with no input of spectral information. We use a data set from the Carnegie Supernovae Project I for which optical and near-infrared light curves were obtained. The apparent magnitude is corrected by two observables, one corresponding to the slope of the plateau in the V band and the second a color term. We obtain a dispersion of 0.44 mag using a combination of the (V - i) color and the r band and we are able to reduce the dispersion to 0.39 mag using our golden sample. A comparison of our photometric color method (PCM) with the standardized candle method (SCM) is also performed. The dispersion obtained for the SCM (which uses both photometric and spectroscopic information) is 0.29 mag, which compares with 0.43 mag from the PCM for the same SN sample. The construction of a photometric Hubble diagram is of high importance in the coming era of large photometric wide-field surveys, which will increase the detection rate of supernovae by orders of magnitude. Such numbers will prohibit spectroscopic follow up in the vast majority of cases, and hence methods must be deployed which can proceed using solely photometric data., La lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivo., Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata

The large-number hypothesis conjectures that fundamental constants may vary. Accordingly, the spacetime variation of fundamental constants has been an active subject of research for decades. Recently, using data obtained with large telescopes a phenomenological model in which the fine structure constant might vary spatially has been proposed. We test whether this hypothetical spatial variation of {\alpha}, which follows a dipole law, is compatible with the data of distant thermonuclear supernovae. Unlike previous works, in our calculations we consider not only the variation of the luminosity distance when a varying {\alpha} is adopted, but we also take into account the variation of the peak luminosity of Type Ia supernovae resulting from a variation of {\alpha}. This is done using an empirical relation for the peak bolometric magnitude of thermonuclear supernovae that correctly reproduces the results of detailed numerical simulations. We find that there is no significant difference between the several phenomenological models studied here and the standard one, in which {\alpha} does not vary spatially. We conclude that the present set of data of Type Ia supernovae is not able to distinguish the standard model from the dipole models, and thus cannot be used to discard nor to confirm the proposed spatial variation of {\alpha}., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap&SS

Dust extinction can be determined from the number of distant field galaxies seen through a spiral disk. To calibrate this number for the crowding and confusion introduced by the foreground image, Gonzalez et al.(1998) and Holwerda et al. (2005) developed the ``Synthetic Field Method'' (SFM), which analyses synthetic fields constructed by adding various deep exposures of unobstructed background fields to the candidate foreground galaxy field. The advantage of the SFM is that it gives the average opacity for area of galaxy disk without assumptions about either the distribution of absorbers or of the disk starlight. However it is limited by low statistics of the surviving field galaxies, hence the need to combine a larger sample of fields. This paper presents the first results for a sample of 32 deep HST/WFPC2 archival fields of 29 spirals. The radial profiles of average dust extinction in spiral galaxies based on calibrated counts of distant field galaxies is presented here, both for individual galaxies as well as for composites from our sample. The effects of inclination, spiral arms and Hubble type on the radial extinction profile are discussed. (Abbreviated), 43 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, (typos, table update, updates abstract)

I discuss the classical cosmological tests, i.e., angular size-redshift, flux-redshift, and galaxy number counts, in the light of the cosmology prescribed by the interpretation of the CMB anisotropies. The discussion is somewhat of a primer for physicists, with emphasis upon the possible systematic uncertainties in the observations and their interpretation. Given the curious composition of the Universe inherent in the emerging cosmological model, I stress the value of searching for inconsistencies rather than concordance, and suggest that the prevailing mood of triumphalism in cosmology is premature.

We report the discovery of a transient source in the central regions of galaxy cluster A267. The object, which we call "PALS-1,'' was found in a survey aimed at identifying highly magnified Lyman break galaxies in the fields of intervening rich clusters. At discovery, the source had U(n)>24.7 (2 sigma; AB), g=21.96+/-0.12, and very blue g-r and r-i colors; i.e., PALS-1 was a "U-band dropout,'' characteristic of star-forming galaxies and quasars at zsimilar to3. However, 3 months later the source had faded by more than 3 mag. Further observations showed a continued decline in luminosity, to R>26.4 at 7 months after discovery. Although the apparent brightness suggests a supernova at roughly the cluster redshift, we show that the photometry and light curve argue against any known type of supernova at any redshift. The spectral energy distribution and location near the center of a galaxy cluster are consistent with the hypothesis that PALS-1 is a gravitationally lensed transient at zapproximate to3.3. If this interpretation is correct, the source is magnified by a factor of 4-7, and two counterimages are predicted. Our lens model predicts that there are time delays between the three images of 1-10 yr and that we have witnessed the final occurrence of the transient. The intense luminosity (M(AB)similar to-23.5 after correcting for lensing) and blue UV continuum (implying Tgreater than or similar to50,000 K) argue that the source may have been a flare resulting from the tidal disruption of a star by a 10(6)-10(8) M(circle dot) black hole. Regardless of its physical nature, PALS-1 highlights the importance of monitoring regions of high magnification in galaxy clusters for distant time-varying phenomena.

We report the discovery of a transient source in the central regions of galaxy cluster A267. The object, which we call "PALS-1,'' was found in a survey aimed at identifying highly magnified Lyman break galaxies in the fields of intervening rich clusters. At discovery, the source had U(n)>24.7 (2 sigma; AB), g=21.96+/-0.12, and very blue g-r and r-i colors; i.e., PALS-1 was a "U-band dropout,'' characteristic of star-forming galaxies and quasars at zsimilar to3. However, 3 months later the source had faded by more than 3 mag. Further observations showed a continued decline in luminosity, to R>26.4 at 7 months after discovery. Although the apparent brightness suggests a supernova at roughly the cluster redshift, we show that the photometry and light curve argue against any known type of supernova at any redshift. The spectral energy distribution and location near the center of a galaxy cluster are consistent with the hypothesis that PALS-1 is a gravitationally lensed transient at zapproximate to3.3. If this interpretation is correct, the source is magnified by a factor of 4-7, and two counterimages are predicted. Our lens model predicts that there are time delays between the three images of 1-10 yr and that we have witnessed the final occurrence of the transient. The intense luminosity (M(AB)similar to-23.5 after correcting for lensing) and blue UV continuum (implying Tgreater than or similar to50,000 K) argue that the source may have been a flare resulting from the tidal disruption of a star by a 10(6)-10(8) M(circle dot) black hole. Regardless of its physical nature, PALS-1 highlights the importance of monitoring regions of high magnification in galaxy clusters for distant time-varying phenomena.

Cepheids have been observed in NGC 5236 (M83) using the Antu (Unit Telescope 1) 8.2 m telescope of the ESO Very Large Telescope with the Focal Reducer/Low Dispersion Spectrograph 1. Repeated imaging observations have been made between 2000 January and 2001 July. Images were obtained in 34 epochs in the V band and in six epochs in the I band. The photometry was made with the ROMAFOT reduction package and checked independently with DoPHOT and a modified version of HSTPHOT. Twelve Cepheid candidates have periods ranging between 12 and 55 days. The dereddened distance modulus is adopted to be (m - M)(0) = 28.25 +/- 0.15, which corresponds to a distance of 4.5 +/- 0.3 Mpc. The Cepheid distance of NGC 5253 has been rediscussed and strengthened by its SN 1972E. The mean distance of (m - M)(0) = 28.01 +/- 0.15 (based on SN 1972E) shows the galaxy to be a close neighbor of M83, suggesting that the two galaxies may have interacted in the past and thus possibly explaining the amorphous morphology of NGC 5253. The distance difference between M83 and NGC 5253 is only 0.5 +/- 0.4 Mpc. The projected distance is only similar to 0.15 Mpc. M83 is the principal member of the nearby M83 group containing also, besides NGC 5253, several dwarf members, for five of which tip of the red giant branch distances are available. The adopted group distance of (m - M)(0) = 28.28 +/- 0.10 (4.5 +/- 0.2 Mpc), together with its mean recession velocity of v(LG) = 249 +/- 42 km s(-1), shows again the extreme quietness of the local (1 - 10 Mpc) expansion field. M83. fits onto the local mean Hubble flow line of the velocity-distance relation (with H-0 similar to 60) with no significant deviation, supporting the earlier conclusion that the local velocity expansion field is remarkably cold on a scale of 10 Mpc, contrary to the predictions of the simplest cold dark matter model for large-scale structure. The role of a cosmological constant has been invoked as a possible solution in providing a nearly uniform force field everywhere in the presence of a lumpy galaxy distribution.

Cepheids have been observed in NGC 5236 (M83) using the Antu (Unit Telescope 1) 8.2 m telescope of the ESO Very Large Telescope with the Focal Reducer/Low Dispersion Spectrograph 1. Repeated imaging observations have been made between 2000 January and 2001 July. Images were obtained in 34 epochs in the V band and in six epochs in the I band. The photometry was made with the ROMAFOT reduction package and checked independently with DoPHOT and a modified version of HSTPHOT. Twelve Cepheid candidates have periods ranging between 12 and 55 days. The dereddened distance modulus is adopted to be (m - M)(0) = 28.25 +/- 0.15, which corresponds to a distance of 4.5 +/- 0.3 Mpc. The Cepheid distance of NGC 5253 has been rediscussed and strengthened by its SN 1972E. The mean distance of (m - M)(0) = 28.01 +/- 0.15 (based on SN 1972E) shows the galaxy to be a close neighbor of M83, suggesting that the two galaxies may have interacted in the past and thus possibly explaining the amorphous morphology of NGC 5253. The distance difference between M83 and NGC 5253 is only 0.5 +/- 0.4 Mpc. The projected distance is only similar to 0.15 Mpc. M83 is the principal member of the nearby M83 group containing also, besides NGC 5253, several dwarf members, for five of which tip of the red giant branch distances are available. The adopted group distance of (m - M)(0) = 28.28 +/- 0.10 (4.5 +/- 0.2 Mpc), together with its mean recession velocity of v(LG) = 249 +/- 42 km s(-1), shows again the extreme quietness of the local (1 - 10 Mpc) expansion field. M83. fits onto the local mean Hubble flow line of the velocity-distance relation (with H-0 similar to 60) with no significant deviation, supporting the earlier conclusion that the local velocity expansion field is remarkably cold on a scale of 10 Mpc, contrary to the predictions of the simplest cold dark matter model for large-scale structure. The role of a cosmological constant has been invoked as a possible solution in providing a nearly uniform force field everywhere in the presence of a lumpy galaxy distribution.

Cepheids have been observed in NGC 5236 (M83) using the Antu (Unit Telescope 1) 8.2 m telescope of the ESO Very Large Telescope with the Focal Reducer/Low Dispersion Spectrograph 1. Repeated imaging observations have been made between 2000 January and 2001 July. Images were obtained in 34 epochs in the V band and in six epochs in the I band. The photometry was made with the ROMAFOT reduction package and checked independently with DoPHOT and a modified version of HSTPHOT. Twelve Cepheid candidates have periods ranging between 12 and 55 days. The dereddened distance modulus is adopted to be (m - M)(0) = 28.25 +/- 0.15, which corresponds to a distance of 4.5 +/- 0.3 Mpc. The Cepheid distance of NGC 5253 has been rediscussed and strengthened by its SN 1972E. The mean distance of (m - M)(0) = 28.01 +/- 0.15 (based on SN 1972E) shows the galaxy to be a close neighbor of M83, suggesting that the two galaxies may have interacted in the past and thus possibly explaining the amorphous morphology of NGC 5253. The distance difference between M83 and NGC 5253 is only 0.5 +/- 0.4 Mpc. The projected distance is only similar to 0.15 Mpc. M83 is the principal member of the nearby M83 group containing also, besides NGC 5253, several dwarf members, for five of which tip of the red giant branch distances are available. The adopted group distance of (m - M)(0) = 28.28 +/- 0.10 (4.5 +/- 0.2 Mpc), together with its mean recession velocity of v(LG) = 249 +/- 42 km s(-1), shows again the extreme quietness of the local (1 - 10 Mpc) expansion field. M83. fits onto the local mean Hubble flow line of the velocity-distance relation (with H-0 similar to 60) with no significant deviation, supporting the earlier conclusion that the local velocity expansion field is remarkably cold on a scale of 10 Mpc, contrary to the predictions of the simplest cold dark matter model for large-scale structure. The role of a cosmological constant has been invoked as a possible solution in providing a nearly uniform force field everywhere in the presence of a lumpy galaxy distribution.

We present multi-band ultraviolet and optical light curves, as well as visual-wavelength and near-infrared spectroscopy of the Type II linear (IIL) supernova (SN) 2013by. We show that SN 2013by and other SNe IIL in the literature, after their linear decline phase that start after maximum, have a sharp light curve decline similar to that seen in Type II plateau (IIP) supernovae. This light curve feature has rarely been observed in other SNe IIL due to their relative rarity and the intrinsic faintness of this particular phase of the light curve. We suggest that the presence of this drop could be used as a physical parameter to distinguish between subclasses of SNe II, rather than their light curve decline rate shortly after peak. Close inspection of the spectra of SN 2013by indicate asymmetric line profiles and signatures of high-velocity hydrogen. Late (less than 90 days after explosion) near-infrared spectra of SN 2013by exhibit oxygen lines, indicating significant mixing within the ejecta. From the late-time light curve, we estimate that 0.029 solar mass of 56Ni was synthesized during the explosion. It is also shown that the V -band light curve slope is responsible for part of the scatter in the luminosity (V magnitude 50 days after explosion) vs. 56Ni relation. Our observations of SN 2013by and other SNe IIL through the onset of the nebular phase indicate that their progenitors are similar to those of SNe IIP., Comment: submitted 2014 December 5th, accepted 2015 January 28th

The Public European Southern Observatory Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO) began as a public spectroscopic survey in April 2012. We describe the data reduction strategy and data products which are publicly available through the ESO archive as the Spectroscopic Survey Data Release 1 (SSDR1). PESSTO uses the New Technology Telescope with EFOSC2 and SOFI to provide optical and NIR spectroscopy and imaging. We target supernovae and optical transients brighter than 20.5mag for classification. Science targets are then selected for follow-up based on the PESSTO science goal of extending knowledge of the extremes of the supernova population. The EFOSC2 spectra cover 3345-9995A (at resolutions of 13-18 Angs) and SOFI spectra cover 0.935-2.53 micron (resolutions 23-33 Angs) along with JHK imaging. This data release contains spectra from the first year (April 2012 - 2013), consisting of all 814 EFOSC2 spectra and 95 SOFI spectra (covering 298 distinct objects), in standard ESO Phase 3 format. We estimate the accuracy of the absolute flux calibrations for EFOSC2 to be typically 15%, and the relative flux calibration accuracy to be about 5%. The PESSTO standard NIR reduction process does not yet produce high accuracy absolute spectrophotometry but the SOFI JHK imaging will improve this. Future data releases will focus on improving the automated flux calibration of the data products., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Describes the PESSTO public data products. All reduced data available from the ESO archive. See http://www.pessto.org for download instructions

Thermonuclear, or Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), originate from the explosion of carbon--oxygen white dwarfs, and serve as standardizable cosmological candles. However, despite their importance, the nature of the progenitor systems that give rise to SNe Ia has not been hitherto elucidated. Observational evidence favors the double-degenerate channel in which merging white dwarf binaries lead to SNe Ia. Furthermore, significant discrepancies exist between observations and theory, and to date, there has been no self-consistent merger model that yields a SNe Ia. Here we show that a spiral mode instability in the accretion disk formed during a binary white dwarf merger leads to a detonation on a dynamical timescale. This mechanism sheds light on how white dwarf mergers may frequently yield SNe Ia., Final version (as in ApJL) with minor edits

A growing subset of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) show evidence for unexpected interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (SNe Ia-CSM). The precise nature of the progenitor, however, remains debated owing to spectral ambiguities arising from a strong contribution from the CSM interaction. Late-time spectra offer potential insight if the post-shock cold, dense shell becomes sufficiently thin and/or the ejecta begin to cross the reverse shock. To date, few high-quality spectra of this kind exist. Here we report on the late-time optical and infrared spectra of the SNe~Ia-CSM 2012ca and 2013dn. These SNe Ia-CSM spectra exhibit low [Fe III]/[Fe II] ratios and strong [Ca II] at late epochs. Such characteristics are reminiscent of the super-Chandrasekhar-mass (SC) candidate SN 2009dc, for which these features suggested a low-ionisation state due to high densities, although the broad Fe features admittedly show similarities to the blue "quasi-continuum" observed in some core-collapse SNe Ibn and IIn. Neither SN 2012ca nor any of the other SNe Ia-CSM show evidence for broad oxygen, carbon, or magnesium in their spectra. Similar to the interacting Type IIn SN 2005ip, a number of high-ionisation lines are identified in SN 2012ca, including [S III], [Ar III], [Ar X], [Fe VIII], [Fe X], and possibly [Fe XI]. The total bolometric energy output does not exceed 10^51 erg, but does require a large kinetic-to-radiative conversion efficiency. All of these observations taken together suggest that SNe Ia-CSM are more consistent with a thermonuclear explosion than a core-collapse event, although detailed radiative transfer models are certainly necessary to confirm these results., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables; Submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcome

The Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) survey has obtained imaging in 5 bands (grizy_P1) over 10 Medium Deep Survey (MDS) fields covering a total of 70 square degrees. This paper describes the search for apparently hostless supernovae (SNe) within the first year of PS1 MDS data with an aim of discovering new superluminous supernovae (SLSNe). A total of 249 hostless transients were discovered down to a limiting magnitude of M_AB ~ 23.5, of which 76 were classified as Type Ia SNe. There were 57 SNe with complete light curves that are likely core-collapse SNe (CCSNe) or SLSNe and 12 of these have had spectra taken. Of these 12 hostless, non-Type Ia SNe, 7 were SLSNe of Type Ic at redshifts between 0.5-1.4. This illustrates that the discovery rate of Type Ic SLSNe can be maximised by concentrating on hostless transients and removing normal SNe Ia. We present data for two new possible SLSNe; PS1-10pm (z = 1.206) and PS1-10ahf (z = 1.1), and estimate the rate of SLSNe-Ic to be between 3^{+3}_{-2} * 10^{-5} and 8^{+2}_{-1} * 10^{-5} of the CCSNe rate within 0.3, 26 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

General Relativity is extended into the quantum domain. A thought experiment is explored to derive a specific topological build-up for Planckian spacetime. The presented arguments are inspired by Feynman's path integral for superposition and Wheeler's quantum foam of Planck mass mini black holes (BHs)/wormholes. Paths are fundamental and prime three-manifolds like T-3, S-1 x S-2 and S-3 are used to construct quantum spacetime. A physical principle is formulated that causes observed paths to multiply: It takes one to know one. So topological fluctuations on the Planck scale take the form of multiple copies of any homeomorphically distinct path through quantum spacetime. The discrete time equation of motion for this topological quantum gravity is derived by counting distinct paths globally. The equation of motion is solved to derive some properties of dark energy and inflation. The dark energy density depends linearly on the number of macroscopic BHs in the universe and is time-dependent in a manner consistent with current astrophysical observations, having an effective equation of state w approximate to -1.1 for redshifts smaller than unity. Inflation driven by mini BHs proceeds over n approximate to 55 e-foldings, without strong inhomogeneity. A discrete time effect visible in the cosmic microwave background is suggested.

We construct spectra of supernovae interacting strongly with a circumstellar medium (CSM) by adding SN templates, a black-body continuum and an emission-line spectrum. In a Monte Carlo simulation we generate more than 800 spectra, distribute them to 10 different classifiers and study how the different simulation parameters affect the appearance of the spectra. SNe IIn showing some structure over the continuum were characterized as SNe IInS. We demonstrate that the flux ratio of the underlying SN to the continuum fv is the most important parameter determining the spectral classification. Thermonuclear SNe get progressively classified as Ia-CSM, IInS and IIn as fv decreases. The transition between Ia-CSM and IInS occurs at fv~0.2-0.3. It shown that SNe Ia-CSM are found at the magnitude range -19.5> M >-21.6, in good agreement with observations, and that the faintest SN IIn that can hide a SN Ia has M = -20.1. The sample of SNe Ia-CSM shows an association with 91T-like SNe Ia. Our experiment does not support that this association is due to a luminosity bias (91T-like being brighter than normal Ia). We therefore conclude that this association has real physical origins and we propose that 91T-like explosions result from single degenerate progenitors. Despite the similarities between SNe Ibc and SNe Ia, the number of misclassifications between these types was small and mostly at low S/N. Combined with the luminosity function needed to reproduce the observed SN Ia-CSM luminosities, it is unlikely that SNe Ibc constitute an important contaminant within this sample. We show how Type II spectra transition to IIn and how the Ha profiles vary with fv. SNe IIn fainter than M = -17.2 are unable to mask SNe IIP brighter than M = -15. A simulation including radiative transfer shows that our simplified model is a good first order approximation. The spectra obtained are in good agreement with real data., Accepted 16 November 2014, published 27 January 2015. 19 pages, 15 figures, 1 Table. Abstract abridged. The first author is responsible for the long delay. 500 more spectra were simulated and classified, including lower S/N and a new Type Ic template. All main conclusions remain unchanged; graphs and text were modified to include the new data; most changes can be found in Section 5.1

We combine recent measurements of Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies, Supernovae luminosity distances and Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations to derive constraints on the dark energy equation of state w in the redshift range 0, Comment: 7 Pages, 6 figures

General Relativity is extended into the quantum domain. A thought experiment is explored to derive a specific topological build-up for Planckian space-time. The presented arguments are inspired by Feynman's path integral for superposition and Wheeler's quantum foam of Planck mass mini black holes/wormholes. Paths are fundamental and prime 3-manifolds like T^3, S^1xS^2 and S^3 are used to construct quantum space-time. A physical principle is formulated that causes observed paths to multiply: It takes one to know one. So topological fluctuations on the Planck scale take the form of multiple copies of any homeomorphically distinct path through quantum space-time. The discrete time equation of motion for this topological quantum gravity is derived by counting distinct paths globally. The equation of motion is solved to derive some properties of dark energy and inflation. The dark energy density depends linearly on the number of macroscopic black holes in the universe and is time dependent in a manner consistent with current astrophysical observations, having an effective equation of state w=-1.1 for redshifts smaller than unity. Inflation driven by mini black holes proceeds over n=55 e-foldings, without strong inhomogeneity, a scalar-to-tensor ratio r=ln(7)/n=0.036 and a spectral index n_s=1-r=0.964. A discrete time effect visible in the cosmic microwave background is suggested., Invited review for the International Journal of Modern Physics D; 36 pages, 1 figure, a few words added on induced BH growth, dark matter and naked singularities

We report the discovery of a giant HI tail in the intra-group medium of HCG 44 as part of the Atlas3D survey. The tail is ~300 kpc long in projection and contains ~5x10^8 M_sun of HI. We detect no diffuse stellar light at the location of the tail down to ~28.5 mag/arcsec^2 in g band. We speculate that the tail might have formed as gas was stripped from the outer regions of NGC 3187 (a member of HCG 44) by the group tidal field. In this case, a simple model indicates that about 1/3 of the galaxy's HI was stripped during a time interval of, MNRAS, accepted

High resolution N-body simulations of galactic cold dark matter haloes indicate that we should expect to find a few satellite galaxies around the Milky Way whose haloes have a maximum circular velocity in excess of 40 kms. Yet, with the exception of the Magellanic Clouds and the Sagittarius dwarf, which likely reside in subhaloes with significantly larger velocities than this, the bright satellites of the Milky Way all appear to reside in subhaloes with maximum circular velocities below 40 kms. As recently highlighted by Boylan-Kolchin et al., this discrepancy implies that the majority of the most massive subhaloes within a cold dark matter galactic halo are much too concentrated to be consistent with the kinematic data for the bright Milky Way satellites. Here we show that no such discrepancy exists if haloes are made of warm, rather than cold dark matter because these haloes are less concentrated on account of their typically later formation epochs. Warm dark matter is one of several possible explanations for the observed kinematics of the satellites., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted by MNRAS. Text and figures updated

We model the evolution of manganese relative to iron in the progenitor system of the globular cluster Omega Centauri by means of a self-consistent chemical evolution model. We use stellar yields that already reproduce the measurements of [Mn/Fe] versus [Fe/H] in Galactic field disc and halo stars, in Galactic bulge stars and in the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy. We compare our model predictions to the Mn abundances measured in a sample of 10 red giant members and 6 subgiant members of Omega Cen. The low values of [Mn/Fe] observed in a few, metal-rich stars of the sample cannot be explained in the framework of our standard, homogeneous chemical evolution model. Introducing cooling flows that selectively bring to the cluster core only the ejecta from specific categories of stars does not help to heal the disagreement with the observations. The capture of field stars does not offer a viable explanation either. The observed spread in the data and the lowest [Mn/Fe] values could, in principle, be understood if the system experienced inhomogeneous chemical evolution. Such an eventuality is qualitatively discussed in the present paper. However, more measurements of Mn in Omega Cen stars are needed to settle the issue of Mn evolution in this cluster., 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We rank the six latest Type Ia supernova (SnIa) datasets (Constitution (C), Union (U), ESSENCE (Davis) (E), Gold06 (G), SNLS 1yr (S) and SDSS-II (D)) in the context of the Chevalier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) parametrization $w(a)=w_0+w_1 (1-a)$, according to their Figure of Merit (FoM), their consistency with the cosmological constant ($\Lambda$CDM), their consistency with standard rulers (Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO)) and their mutual consistency. We find a significant improvement of the FoM (defined as the inverse area of the 95.4% parameter contour) with the number of SnIa of these datasets ((C) highest FoM, (U), (G), (D), (E), (S) lowest FoM). Standard rulers (CMB+BAO) have a better FoM by about a factor of 3, compared to the highest FoM SnIa dataset (C). We also find that the ranking sequence based on consistency with $\Lambda$CDM is identical with the corresponding ranking based on consistency with standard rulers ((S) most consistent, (D), (C), (E), (U), (G) least consistent). The ranking sequence of the datasets however changes when we consider the consistency with an expansion history corresponding to evolving dark energy $(w_0,w_1)=(-1.4,2)$ crossing the phantom divide line $w=-1$ (it is practically reversed to (G), (U), (E), (S), (D), (C)). The SALT2 and MLCS2k2 fitters are also compared and some peculiar features of the SDSS-II dataset when standardized with the MLCS2k2 fitter are pointed out. Finally, we construct a statistic to estimate the internal consistency of a collection of SnIa datasets. We find that even though there is good consistency among most samples taken from the above datasets, this consistency decreases significantly when the Gold06 (G) dataset is included in the sample., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Included recently released SDSS-II dataset. Improved presentation. Main results unchanged. The mathematica files and datasets used for the production of the figures may be downloaded from http://leandros.physics.uoi.gr/datacomp/

We demonstrate the scale dependence of the growth function of cosmological perturbations in dark energy models based on General Relativity. This scale dependence is more prominent on cosmological scales of $100h^{-1}Mpc$ or larger. We derive a new scale dependent parametrization which generalizes the well known Newtonian approximation result $f_0(a)\equiv \frac{d\ln \delta_0}{d\ln a}=\om(a)^\gamma$ ($\gamma ={6/11}$ for \lcdm) which is a good approximation on scales less than $50h^{-1}Mpc$. Our generalized parametrization is of the form $f(a)=\frac{f_0(a)}{1+\xi(a,k)}$ where $\xi(a,k)=\frac{3 H_{0}^{2} \omm}{a k^2}$. We demonstrate that this parametrization fits the exact result of a full general relativistic evaluation of the growth function up to horizon scales for both \lcdm and dynamical dark energy. In contrast, the scale independent parametrization does not provide a good fit on scales beyond 5% of the horizon scale ($k\simeq 0.01 h^{-1}Mpc$)., Comment: Revised and extended version. No changes in results. 7 pages, 4 figures. The mathematica files used for the production of the figures may be downloaded from http://leandros.physics.uoi.gr/newpar.zip

The LaSilla/QUEST Variability Survey (LSQ) and the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP II) are collaborating to discover and obtain photometric light curves for a large sample of low redshift (z < 0.1) Type Ia supernovae. The supernovae are discovered in the LSQ survey using the 1 m ESO Schmidt telescope at the La Silla Observatory with the 10 square degree QUEST camera. The follow-up photometric observations are carried out using the 1 m Swope telescope and the 2.5 m du Pont telescopes at the Las Campanas Observatory. This paper describes the survey, discusses the methods of analyzing the data and presents the light curves for the first 31 Type Ia supernovae obtained in the survey. The SALT 2.4 supernova light curve fitter was used to analyze the photometric data, and the Hubble diagram for this first sample is presented. The measurement errors for these supernovae averaged 4%, and their intrinsic spread was 14%., in 2015 ApjS, 219, 13

We present optical and infrared (IR) observations of the type IIP SN2002hh from 3 to 397 days after explosion. The optical spectroscopic (4-397d) and photometric (3-278d) data are complemented by spectroscopic (137-381d) and photometric (137-314d) data acquired at IR wavelengths. This is the first time L-band spectra have ever been successfully obtained for a supernova at a distance beyond the Local Group. The VRI light curves in the first 40 days reveal SN2002hh to be a SN IIP (plateau) - the most common of all core-collapse supernovae. SN2002hh is one of the most highly extinguished supernovae ever investigated. To provide a good match between its early-time spectrum and a coeval spectrum of the Type IIP SN1999em, as well as maintaining consistency with KI interstellar absorption, we invoke a 2-component extinction model. One component is due to the combined effect of the interstellar medium of our Milky Way Galaxy and the SN host galaxy, while the other component is due to a "dust pocket" where the grains have a mean size smaller than in the interstellar medium. The early-time optical light curves of SNe 1999em and 2002hh are generally well-matched, as are the radioactive tails of these two SNe and SN1987A. The late-time similarity of the SN2002hh optical light curves to those of SN1987A, together with measurements of the optical/IR luminosity and [FeII] 1.257mu emission indicate that 0.07 +- 0.02 Msun of Ni 56 was ejected by SN2002hh. [... ABRIDGED...] From the [OI] 6300,6364 A doublet luminosity we infer a 16-18 Msun main-sequence progenitor star. The progenitor of SN2002hh was probably a red supergiant with a substantial, dusty wind., Comment: 32 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS