Search

We present JWST observations of the Crab Nebula, the iconic remnant of the historical SN 1054. The observations include NIRCam and MIRI imaging mosaics plus MIRI/MRS spectra that probe two select locations within the ejecta filaments. We derive a high-resolution map of dust emission and show that the grains are concentrated in the innermost, high-density filaments. These dense filaments coincide with multiple synchrotron bays around the periphery of the Crab's pulsar wind nebula (PWN). We measure synchrotron spectral index changes in small-scale features within the PWN’s torus region, including the well-known knot and wisp structures. The index variations are consistent with Doppler boosting of emission from particles with a broken power-law distribution, providing the first direct evidence that the curvature in the particle injection spectrum is tied to the acceleration mechanism at the termination shock. We detect multiple nickel and iron lines in the ejecta filaments and use photoionization models to derive nickel-to-iron abundance ratios that are a factor of 3–8 higher than the solar ratio. We also find that the previously reported order-of-magnitude higher Ni/Fe values from optical data are consistent with the lower values from JWST when we reanalyze the optical emission using updated atomic data and account for local extinction from dust. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding the nature of the explosion that produced the Crab Nebula and conclude that the observational properties are most consistent with a low-mass Fe core-collapse supernova, even though an electron-capture explosion cannot be ruled out.

Multipeaked supernovae with precursors, dramatic light-curve rebrightenings, and spectral transformation are rare, but are being discovered in increasing numbers by modern night-sky transient surveys like the Zwicky Transient Facility. Here, we present the observations and analysis of SN 2023aew, which showed a dramatic increase in brightness following an initial luminous (−17.4 mag) and long (∼100 days) unusual first peak (possibly precursor). SN 2023aew was classified as a Type IIb supernova during the first peak but changed its type to resemble a stripped-envelope supernova (SESN) after the marked rebrightening. We present comparisons of SN 2023aew’s spectral evolution with SESN subtypes and argue that it is similar to SNe Ibc during its main peak. P-Cygni Balmer lines are present during the first peak, but vanish during the second peak’s photospheric phase, before H α resurfaces again during the nebular phase. The nebular lines ([O i ], [Ca ii ], Mg i ], H α ) exhibit a double-peaked structure that hints toward a clumpy or nonspherical ejecta. We analyze the second peak in the light curve of SN 2023aew and find it to be broader than that of normal SESNe as well as requiring a very high ^56 Ni mass to power the peak luminosity. We discuss the possible origins of SN 2023aew including an eruption scenario where a part of the envelope is ejected during the first peak and also powers the second peak of the light curve through interaction of the SN with the circumstellar medium.

During the first few hundred days after the explosion, core-collapse supernovae (SNe) emit down-scattered X-rays and gamma-rays originating from radioactive line emissions, primarily from the 56Ni → 56Co → 56Fe chain. We use supernova (SN) models based on three-dimensional neutrino-driven explosion simulations of single stars and mergers to compute this emission and compare the predictions with observations of SN 1987A. A number of models are clearly excluded, showing that high-energy emission is a powerful way of discriminating between models. The best models are almost consistent with the observations, but differences that cannot be matched by a suitable choice of viewing angle are evident. Therefore, our self-consistent models suggest that neutrino-driven explosions are able to produce, in principle, sufficient mixing, although remaining discrepancies may require small changes to the progenitor structures. The soft X-ray cutoff is primarily determined by the metallicity of the progenitor envelope. The main effect of asymmetries is to vary the flux level by a factor of ∼3. For the more asymmetric models, the shapes of the light curves also change. In addition to the models of SN 1987A, we investigate two models of SNe II-P and one model of a stripped-envelope SN IIb. The Type II-P models have observables similar to those of the models of SN 1987A, but the stripped-envelope SN model is significantly more luminous and evolves faster. Finally, we make simple predictions for future observations of nearby SNe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite more than 30 years of searching, the compact object in Supernova (SN) 1987A has not yet been detected. We present new limits on the compact object in SN 1987A using millimeter, near-infrared, optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray observations from ALMA, VLT, HST, and Chandra. The limits are approximately 0.1 mJy ( erg s−1 cm−2 Hz−1) at 213 GHz, 1 L⊙ ( erg s−1 cm−2 Hz−1) in the optical if our line of sight is free of ejecta dust, and 1036 erg s−1 ( erg s−1 cm−2 Hz−1) in 2–10 keV X-rays. Our X-ray limits are an order of magnitude less constraining than previous limits because we use a more realistic ejecta absorption model based on three-dimensional neutrino-driven SN explosion models. The allowed bolometric luminosity of the compact object is 22 L⊙ if our line of sight is free of ejecta dust, or 138 L⊙ if dust-obscured. Depending on assumptions, these values limit the effective temperature of a neutron star (NS) to –8 MK and do not exclude models, which typically are in the range 3–4 MK. For the simplest accretion model, the accretion rate for an efficiency η is limited to M⊙ yr−1, which excludes most predictions. For pulsar activity modeled by a rotating magnetic dipole in vacuum, the limit on the magnetic field strength (B) for a given spin period (P) is G s−2, which firmly excludes pulsars comparable to the Crab. By combining information about radiation reprocessing and geometry, we infer that the compact object is a dust-obscured thermally emitting NS, which may appear as a region of higher-temperature ejecta dust emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While interaction with circumstellar material is known to play an important role in Type IIn supernovae (SNe), analyses of the more common SNe IIP and IIL have not traditionally included interaction as a significant power source. However, recent campaigns to observe SNe within days of explosion have revealed narrow emission lines of high-ionization species in the earliest spectra of luminous SNe II of all subclasses. These “flash ionization” features indicate the presence of a confined shell of material around the progenitor star. Here we present the first low-luminosity (LL) SN to show flash ionization features, SN 2016bkv. This SN peaked at MV = −16 mag and has Hα expansion velocities under 1350 km s−1 around maximum light, placing it at the faint/slow end of the distribution of SNe IIP (similar to SN 2005cs). The light-curve shape of SN 2016bkv is also extreme among SNe IIP. A very strong initial peak could indicate additional luminosity from circumstellar interaction. A very small fall from the plateau to the nickel tail indicates unusually large production of radioactive nickel compared to other LL SNe IIP. A comparison between nebular spectra of SN 2016bkv and models raises the possibility that SN 2016bkv is an electron-capture supernova. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]