dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaVLBI Observations of SN 2012au Reveal a Compact Radio Source a Decade Post Explosion
| Authors | Mattias Lazda, Kenzie Nimmo, Maria R. Drout, Benito Marcote, Jason W. T. Hessels, Eli Wiston, Raffaella Margutti, Omar Ould-Boukattine, Tanmoy Laskar, Jacco Vink, Ryan Chornock, James K. Leung, Deanne L. Coppejans, Dan Milisavljevic, Juan Mena-Parra, Dan Patnaude |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | 2601.06278vv1 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06278 |
| License | http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/ |
Abstract
Three leading models have been put forth to justify the observed radio re-brightening associated with stripped-envelope supernovae (SESNe) years post-explosion: radiation from an emerging pulsar wind nebula (PWN), shock interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (CSM), or emission from off-axis, relativistic jets. SN~2012au is a particularly intriguing SESN in this regard as observations obtained $\gtrsim$ 6 years post-explosion have shown \emph{both} (i) optical emission features consistent with a young PWN and (ii) a radio re-brightening. We present the results of our Very-Long-Baseline-Interferometric (VLBI) observations of SN 2012au performed between 8 to 13 years post core-collapse. Our VLBI observations reveal a luminous, steadily fading radio source that remains compact ($\leq1.4\times10^{17}~\mathrm{cm}$) and stationary ($\leq0.36c$) over the course of our campaign. Overall, we find that our VLBI measurements can be readily explained by a $\sim$decade-old PWN, potentially explained by shock interaction with specific CSM geometries, and are unlikely to be explained by emission from an off-axis, relativistic jet. Assuming a PWN origin, our observations require that the initial spin-down luminosity of the central pulsar be between $10^{36}~\mathrm{erg~s^{-1}}\leq\dot{E}_0\leq10^{42}~\mathrm{erg~s^{-1}}$ and radio efficiency factor be $\eta_\mathrm{R}\geq3\times10^{-6}$. These results are consistent with independent inferences obtained using optical spectroscopy of SN~2012au, alongside inferences of known Galactic systems. If a PWN origin is confirmed, SN 2012au would represent the first extragalactic PWN emerging from a modern day SN, providing a novel opportunity to study the formation properties of a decade-old pulsar.
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"abstract": "Three leading models have been put forth to justify the observed radio re-brightening associated with stripped-envelope supernovae (SESNe) years post-explosion: radiation from an emerging pulsar wind nebula (PWN), shock interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (CSM), or emission from off-axis, relativistic jets. SN~2012au is a particularly intriguing SESN in this regard as observations obtained $\\gtrsim$ 6 years post-explosion have shown \\emph{both} (i) optical emission features consistent with a young PWN and (ii) a radio re-brightening. We present the results of our Very-Long-Baseline-Interferometric (VLBI) observations of SN 2012au performed between 8 to 13 years post core-collapse. Our VLBI observations reveal a luminous, steadily fading radio source that remains compact ($\\leq1.4\\times10^{17}~\\mathrm{cm}$) and stationary ($\\leq0.36c$) over the course of our campaign. Overall, we find that our VLBI measurements can be readily explained by a $\\sim$decade-old PWN, potentially explained by shock interaction with specific CSM geometries, and are unlikely to be explained by emission from an off-axis, relativistic jet. Assuming a PWN origin, our observations require that the initial spin-down luminosity of the central pulsar be between $10^{36}~\\mathrm{erg~s^{-1}}\\leq\\dot{E}_0\\leq10^{42}~\\mathrm{erg~s^{-1}}$ and radio efficiency factor be $\\eta_\\mathrm{R}\\geq3\\times10^{-6}$. These results are consistent with independent inferences obtained using optical spectroscopy of SN~2012au, alongside inferences of known Galactic systems. If a PWN origin is confirmed, SN 2012au would represent the first extragalactic PWN emerging from a modern day SN, providing a novel opportunity to study the formation properties of a decade-old pulsar.",
"arxiv_id": "2601.06278",
"authors": [
"Mattias Lazda",
"Kenzie Nimmo",
"Maria R. Drout",
"Benito Marcote",
"Jason W. T. Hessels",
"Eli Wiston",
"Raffaella Margutti",
"Omar Ould-Boukattine",
"Tanmoy Laskar",
"Jacco Vink",
"Ryan Chornock",
"James K. Leung",
"Deanne L. Coppejans",
"Dan Milisavljevic",
"Juan Mena-Parra",
"Dan Patnaude"
],
"categories": [
"astro-ph.HE",
"astro-ph.SR"
],
"license": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
"title": "VLBI Observations of SN 2012au Reveal a Compact Radio Source a Decade Post Explosion",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06278",
"version": "v1"
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