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A rare subclass of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), named after the prototype SN 2003fg, includes some of the brightest SNe Ia, often called "super Chandrasekhar-mass" SNe Ia. We calculate the $\gamma$-ray deposition histories and the $^{56}$Ni mass synthesized in the explosion, $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$, for eight 2003fg-like SNe. Our findings reveal that the $\gamma$-ray escape time, $t_0$, for these objects is $ t_0\approx45\text{-}60 \,$ days, significantly higher than that of normal SNe Ia. 2003fg-like SNe are distinct from normal SNe Ia in the $ t_0 $-$ M_\mathrm{Ni56} $ plane, with a noticeable gap between the two populations. The observed position of 2003fg-like SNe in this plane poses a significant challenge for theoretical explosion models. We demonstrate that the merger of two white dwarfs (WDs) and a single star exceeding the Chandrasekhar limit fail to reproduce the observed $ t_0 $-$ M_\mathrm{Ni56} $ distribution. However, preliminary calculations of head-on collisions of massive WDs show agreement with the observed $ t_0 $-$ M_\mathrm{Ni56} $ distribution., Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to MNRAS

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are widely believed to arise from thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs (WDs). However, ongoing debate surrounds their progenitor systems and the mechanisms triggering these explosions. Recently, Sharon \& Kushnir showed that existing models do not reproduce the observed positive correlation between the $\gamma$-ray escape time, $t_0$, and the synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass, $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$. Their analysis, while avoiding complex radiation transfer (RT) calculations, did not account for the viewing-angle dependence of the derived $t_0$ and $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ in multi-dimensional (multi-D) models during pre-nebular phases, where most observations performed. Here, we aim to identify an observational width-luminosity relation, similar to the $t_0$-$M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ relation to constrain multi-D models during pre-nebular phases while minimizing RT calculation uncertainties. We show that the bolometric luminosity at $t\le30$ days since explosion can be accurately computed without non-thermal ionization considerations, which are computationally expensive and uncertain. We find that the ratio of the bolometric luminosity at 30 days since explosion to the peak luminosity, $L_{30}/Lp$, correlates strongly with $t_0$. Using a sample of well-observed SNe Ia, we show that this parameter tightly correlates with the peak luminosity, $L_p$. We compare the observed $L_{30}/Lp$-$L_p$ distribution with models from the literature, including non-spherical models consisting of head-on WD collisions and off-centered ignitions of sub-Chandrasekhar mass WDs. We find that all known SNe Ia models fail to reproduce the observed bolometric luminosity-width correlation., Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures. Submitted to MNRAS

The recent SH0ES determination of the Hubble constant, $H_0=73.04\pm1.04$ km/s/Mpc, deviates significantly by $\approx5\sigma$ from the \textit{Planck} value, stimulating discussions on cosmological model extensions. To minimize statistical uncertainty and mitigate sensitivity to systematic errors in any single anchor distance determination, SH0ES combines Cepheids from various observations, including those from Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) host galaxies, NGC 4258, and closer galaxies (MW, LMC, SMC, and M31), although this mixed sample may introduce unknown or subtle systematic errors due to comparing distant and closer Cepheids. To address this, we propose a subset excluding Cepheids from the closer galaxies, retaining only the NGC 4258 water megamasers as a single anchor, circumventing potential systematic errors associated with observational methods and reduction techniques. Focusing solely on these Cepheids yields competitive statistical errors, approximately $2.5\%$, sufficient to identify a $\approx3\sigma$ tension with the \textit{Planck} $H_0$ value. Our approach offers an opportunity to utilize optical photometry with systematic uncertainty smaller than the statistical uncertainty, potentially achieving higher precision than NIR photometry, given the lower optical background. However, currently the optical photometry sample's fidelity does not match that of NIR photometry. The significant Hubble tension obtained is unrelated to Cepheids and we discuss other options., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures

Neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes are the remnants of massive star explosions. Most massive stars reside in close binary systems, and the interplay between the companion star and the newly formed compact object has been theoretically explored, but signatures for binarity or evidence for the formation of a compact object during a supernova explosion are still lacking. Here we report a stripped-envelope supernova, SN 2022jli, which shows 12.4-day periodic undulations during the declining light curve. Narrow H$\alpha$ emission is detected in late-time spectra with concordant periodic velocity shifts, likely arising from hydrogen gas stripped from a companion and accreted onto the compact remnant. A new Fermi/LAT $\gamma$-ray source is temporally and positionally consistent with SN 2022jli. The observed properties of SN 2022jli, including periodic undulations in the optical light curve, coherent H$\alpha$ emission shifting, and evidence for association with a $\gamma$-ray source, point to the explosion of a massive star in a binary system leaving behind a bound compact remnant. Mass accretion from the companion star onto the compact object powers the light curve of the supernova and generates the $\gamma$-ray emission., Comment: Accepted for publication in Nature

The SH0ES collaboration Hubble constant determination is in a ${\sim}5\sigma$ difference with the $Planck$ value, known as the Hubble tension. The accuracy of the Hubble constant measured with extragalactic Cepheids depends on robust stellar-crowding background estimation. Riess et al. (R20) compared the light curves amplitudes of extragalactic and MW Cepheids to constrain an unaccounted systematic blending bias, $\gamma=-0.029\pm0.037\,\rm{mag}$, which cannot explain the required, $\gamma=0.24\pm0.05\,\rm{mag}$, to resolve the Hubble tension. Further checks by Riess et al. demonstrate that a possible blending is not likely related to the size of the crowding correction. We repeat the R20 analysis, with the following main differences: (1) we limit the extragalactic and MW Cepheids comparison to periods $P\lesssim50\,\rm{d}$, since the number of MW Cepheids with longer periods is minimal; (2) we use publicly available data to recalibrate amplitude ratios of MW Cepheids in standard passbands; (3) we remeasure the amplitudes of Cepheids in NGC 5584 and NGC 4258 in two HST filters ($F555W$ and $F350LP$) to improve the empirical constraint on their amplitude ratio $A^{555}/A^{350}$. We show that the filter transformations introduce an ${\approx}0.04\,\rm{mag}$ uncertainty in determining $\gamma$, not included by R20. While our final estimate, $\gamma=0.013\pm0.057\,\rm{mag}$, is consistent with the value derived by R20 and is consistent with no bias, the error is somewhat larger, and the best fitting value is shifted by ${\approx}0.04\,\rm{mag}$ and closer to zero. Future observations, especially with JWST, would allow better calibration of $\gamma$., Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Abridged - Stars with ZAMS masses between 140 and $260 M_\odot$ are thought to explode as pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). During their thermonuclear runaway, PISNe can produce up to several tens of solar masses of radioactive nickel, resulting in luminous transients similar to some superluminous supernovae (SLSNe). Yet, no unambiguous PISN has been discovered so far. SN2018ibb is a H-poor SLSN at $z=0.166$ that evolves extremely slowly compared to the hundreds of known SLSNe. Between mid 2018 and early 2022, we monitored its photometric and spectroscopic evolution from the UV to the NIR with 2-10m class telescopes. SN2018ibb radiated $>3\times10^{51} \rm erg$ during its evolution, and its bolometric light curve reached $>2\times10^{44} \rm erg\,s^{-1}$ at peak. The long-lasting rise of $>93$ rest-frame days implies a long diffusion time, which requires a very high total ejected mass. The PISN mechanism naturally provides both the energy source ($^{56}$Ni) and the long diffusion time. Theoretical models of PISNe make clear predictions for their photometric and spectroscopic properties. SN2018ibb complies with most tests on the light curves, nebular spectra and host galaxy, potentially all tests with the interpretation we propose. Both the light curve and the spectra require 25-44 $M_\odot$ of freshly nucleosynthesised $^{56}$Ni, pointing to the explosion of a metal-poor star with a He-core mass of 120-130 $M_\odot$ at the time of death. This interpretation is also supported by the tentative detection of [Co II]$\lambda$1.025$\mu$m, which has never been observed in any other PISN candidate or SLSN before. Powering by a central engine, such as a magnetar or a black hole, can be excluded with high confidence. This makes SN2018ibb by far the best candidate for being a PISN, to date., Comment: Accepted in A&A, the revised version includes a PISN rate estimate and an additional test with PISN models. 47 pages, main text 41 pages, 38 figures, 16 Tables

Calcium-rich supernovae (Ca-rich SNe) are faint, rapidly evolving transients whose progenitor system is yet to be determined. We derive the $\gamma$-ray deposition histories of five Ca-rich SNe from the literature in order to place constraints on possible progenitor systems. We find that the $ \gamma $-ray escape time, $ t_0 $, of the Ca-rich SNe sample is $\approx35$-$65 \,\rm{d}$, within the unoccupied region between Type Ia SNe and stripped envelope supernovae (SESNe). The $ t_0$-$M_\mathrm{Ni56} $ distribution of these SNe, where $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ is the synthesised $^{56}$Ni mass in the explosion, creates a continuum between the Type Ia and SESNe $ t_0$-$M_\mathrm{Ni56} $ distribution, hinting at a possible connection between all the events. By comparing our results to models from the literature, we were able to determine that helium shell detonation models and core-collapse models of ultra-stripped stars are unlikely to explain Ca-rich SNe, since the gamma-ray escape time in these models is smaller than the observed values. Models that agree with the observed $ t_0$-$M_\mathrm{Ni56} $ distribution are explosions of low mass, $M\approx0.75$-$0.8\,M_\odot $, white dwarfs and core-collapse models of stripped stars with an ejecta mass of $M\approx1$-$3\,M_{\odot}$., Comment: 12 pages, submitted to MNRAS

We present the discovery and analysis of SN\,2022oqm, a Type Ic supernova (SN) detected $<1$\,day after explosion. The SN rises to a blue and short-lived (2\,days) initial peak. Early-time spectral observations of SN\,2022oqm show a hot (40,000\,K) continuum with high-ionization C and O absorption features at velocities of 4000\,km\,s$^{-1}$, while its photospheric radius expands at 20,000\,\kms, indicating a pre-existing distribution of expanding C/O material. After $\sim2.5$\,days, both the spectrum and light curves evolve into those of a typical SN Ic, with line velocities of $\sim10,000$\,km\,s$^{-1}$, in agreement with the photospheric radius evolution. The optical light curves reach a second peak at $t\approx15$\,days. By $t=60$\,days, the spectrum of \oqm\ becomes nearly nebular, displaying strong \ion{Ca}{2} and [\ion{Ca}{2}] emission with no detectable [\ion{O}{1}], marking this event as Ca-rich. The early behavior can be explained by $10^{-3}$\,\msun\ of optically thin circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding either (1) a massive compact progenitor such as a Wolf-Rayet star, (2) a massive stripped progenitor with an extended envelope, or (3) a binary system with a white dwarf. We propose that the early-time light curve is powered by both interaction of the ejecta with the optically thin CSM and shock cooling (in the massive-star scenario). The observations can be explained by CSM that is optically thick to X-ray photons, is optically thick in the lines as seen in the spectra, and is optically thin to visible-light continuum photons that come either from downscattered X-rays or from the shock-heated ejecta. Calculations show that this scenario is self-consistent., Comment: 36 pages, 23 figures. Comments are welcome ido.irani@weizmann.ac.il or idoirani@gmail.com. Accepted to ApJ

We construct the Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) luminosity function (LF) using the Zwicky Transient Facility Bright Transient Survey (BTS) catalogue. While this magnitude-limited survey has an unprecedented number of objects, it suffers from large distance uncertainties and lacks an estimation of host extinction. We bypass these issues by calculating the intrinsic luminosities from the shape parameters of the light curve's $ g $ and $ r $ bands, with the luminosities calibrated from the well observed SNe Ia sample of the Carnegie Supernova Project, allowing us to construct, for the first time, the intrinsic LF of SNe Ia. We then use a novel tight relation between the color stretch and the synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass, $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$, to determine the $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ distribution of SNe Ia. We find that the LFs are unimodal, with their peaks in line with previous results, but have a much lower rate of dim events and luminous events. We show that the features on top of the unimodal LF-derived distributions are all compatible with statistical noise, consistent with a single progenitor channel for the explosions. We further derive, for the first time, the SNe Ia distribution of host galaxy extinction, and find a mean selective extinction of $E(B-V)\approx0.1$ and a non-negligible fraction with large, $ >1\,\text{mag} $, extinction in the optical bands. The high extinction is typical for luminous SNe, supporting their young population origin., Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are likely the thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white-dwarf stars, but their progenitor systems remain elusive. A few theoretical scenarios for the progenitor systems have been suggested, which have been shown to agree with some observational properties of SNe Ia. However, several computational challenges prohibit a robust comparison to the observations. We focus on the observed $t_0-M_\text{Ni56}$ relation, where $t_0$ (the $\gamma$-rays' escape time from the ejecta) is positively correlated with $M_\text{Ni56}$ (the synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass). Comparing to the $t_0-M_\text{Ni56}$ relation bypasses the need for radiation transfer calculations, as the value of $t_0$ can be directly inferred from the ejecta. We show that all known SNe Ia models fail to reproduce the observed $t_0-M_\text{Ni56}$ correlation., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2008.08592

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are likely the thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen (CO) white-dwarf (WD) stars, but their progenitor systems remain elusive. Recent studies have suggested that a propagating detonation within a thin helium shell surrounding a sub-Chandrasekhar mass CO core can subsequently trigger a detonation within the core (the double-detonation model, DDM). The outcome of this explosion is similar to a central ignition of a sub-Chandrasekhar mass CO WD (SCD). While SCD is consistent with some observational properties of SNe Ia, several computational challenges prohibit a robust comparison to the observations. We focus on the observed $t_0-M_\text{Ni56}$ relation, where $t_0$ (the $\gamma$-rays' escape time from the ejecta) is positively correlated with $M_\text{Ni56}$ (the synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass). We apply our recently developed numerical scheme to calculate SCD and show that the calculated $t_0-M_\text{Ni56}$ relation, which does not require radiation transfer calculations, converges to an accuracy of a few percent. We find a clear tension between our calculations and the observed $t_0-M_\text{Ni56}$ relation. SCD predicts an anti-correlation between $t_0$ and $M_\text{Ni56}$, with $t_0\approx30\,\textrm{day}$ for luminous ($M_\text{Ni56}\gtrsim0.5\,M_{\odot}$) SNe Ia, while the observed $t_0$ is in the range of $35-45\,\textrm{day}$. We show that this tension is larger than the uncertainty of the results, and that it exists in all previous studies of the problem. Our results hint that more complicated models are required, but we argue that DDM is unlikely to resolve the tension with the observations., Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures. Main results in the first 3 pages with 1 figure. Minor revisions following referee's report

The $\gamma$-ray deposition history in an expanding supernova (SN) ejecta has been mostly used to constrain models for Type Ia SN. Here we expand this methodology to core-collapse SNe, including stripped envelope (SE; Type Ib/Ic/IIb) and Type IIP SNe. We construct bolometric light curves using photometry from the literature and we use the Katz integral to extract the $\gamma$-ray deposition history. We recover the tight range of $\gamma$-ray escape times, $t_0\approx30-45\,\textrm{d}$, for Type Ia SNe, and we find a new tight range $t_0\approx80-140\,\textrm{d}$, for SE SNe. Type IIP SNe are clearly separated from other SNe types with $t_0\gtrsim400\,\textrm{d}$, and there is a possible negative correlation between $t_0$ and the synthesized $^{56}$Ni mass. We find that the typical masses of the synthesized $^{56}$Ni in SE SNe are larger than those in Type IIP SNe, in agreement with the results of Kushnir. This disfavours progenitors with the same initial mass range for these explosions. We recover the observed values of $ET$, the time-weighted integrated luminosity from cooling emission, for Type IIP, and we find hints of non-zero $ET$ values in some SE SNe. We apply a simple $ \gamma$-ray radiation transfer code to calculate the $\gamma$-ray deposition histories of models from the literature, and we show that the observed histories are a powerful tool for constraining models., Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures, accepted to MNRAS

We revisit the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) process, in which a white dwarf collapses into a neutron star. We are motivated by the persistent radio source associated with the fast radio burst FRB 121102, which was explained by Waxman as a weak stellar explosion with a small ($\sim 10^{-5}M_{\odot}$) mildly relativistic mass ejection that may be consistent with AIC. Additionally, the interaction of the relatively low ejected mass with a pre-collapse wind might be related to fast optical transients. The AIC is simulated with a one-dimensional, Lagrangian, Newtonian hydrodynamic code. We put an emphasis on accurately treating the equation of state and the nuclear burning, which is required for any study that attempts to accurately simulate AIC. We leave subjects such as neutrino physics and general relativity corrections for future work. Using an existing initial profile and our own initial profiles, we find that the ejected mass is $\sim 10^{-2}$ to $10^{-1}M_{\odot}$ over a wide range of parameters, and we construct a simple model to explain our results., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 15 pages, 9 figures

This is a second study of chiral anomaly induced transport within a holographic model consisting of anomalous $U(1)_V\times U(1)_A$ Maxwell theory in Schwarzschild-$AdS_5$ spacetime. In the first part, chiral magnetic/separation effects (CME/CSE) are considered in presence of a static spatially-inhomogeneous external magnetic field. Gradient corrections to CME/CSE are analytically evaluated up to third order in the derivative expansion. Some of the third order gradient corrections lead to an anomaly-induced negative $B^2$-correction to the diffusion constant. We also find non-linear in $B$ modifications to the chiral magnetic wave (CMW). In the second part, we focus on the experimentally interesting case of the axial chemical potential being induced dynamically by a constant magnetic and time-dependent electric fields. Constitutive relations for the vector/axial currents are computed employing two different approximations: (a) derivative expansion (up to third order) but fully nonlinear in the external fields, and (b) weak electric field limit but resuming all orders in the derivative expansion. A non-vanishing non-linear axial current (CSE) is found in the first case. Dependence on magnetic field and frequency of linear transport coefficient functions (TCFs) is explored in the second., Comment: v1: 25 pages, 5 multi-figures; v2: published version, 35 pages, several paragraphs added to explain resummed hydro and the technique used to resum gradients within linear approximation, two appendices added to supplement calculational details in sections 3 and 4, refs added

For a holographically defined finite temperature theory, we derive an off-shell constitutive relation for a global $U(1)$ current driven by a weak external non-dynamical electromagnetic field. The constitutive relation involves an all order gradient expansion resummed into three momenta-dependent transport coefficient functions: diffusion, electric conductivity, and "magnetic" conductivity. These transport functions are first computed analytically in the hydrodynamic limit, up to third order in the derivative expansion, and then numerically for generic values of momenta. We also compute a diffusion memory function, which, as a result of all order gradient resummation, is found to be causal., Comment: v1: 26 pages, 12 figures; v2: 29 pages, 9 multi-figures, revised section 6, added one summary(section 7) and one appendix, to be published in JHEP

Relativistic hydrodynamics dual to Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity in asymptotic $\textrm{AdS}_5$ space is under study. To linear order in the amplitude of the fluid velocity and temperature, we derive the fluid's stress-energy tensor via an all-order resummation of the derivative terms. Each order is accompanied by new transport coefficients, which all together could be compactly absorbed into two functions of momenta, referred to as viscosity functions. Via inverse Fourier transform, these viscosities appear as memory functions in the constitutive relation between components of the stress-energy tensor., Comment: v1: 23 pages, 8 multi-figures, one appendix; v2: title changed, we improved numerical calculations and found the Gauss-Bonnet corrected memory functions still have no support at negative times, and we removed wrong statement about causality violation in previous version; v3: minor revision, to appear in JHEP