Optical and near-IR observations of the faint and fast 2008ha-like supernova 2010ae^{⋆,⋆⋆,⋆⋆⋆}

¹ Department of Physics and AstronomyAarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
e-mail: max@phys.au.dk
² Carnegie Observatories, Las Campanas Observatory, 601 Casilla, La Serena, Chile
³ Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network Inc., Santa Barbara CA 93117, USA
⁴ The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
⁵ The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
⁶ Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
⁷ Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
⁸ Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU), University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, 277-8583 Chiba, Japan
⁹ INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, vicolo dell Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
¹⁰ Departamento Ciencias Fõsicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Av. Republica 252, Santiago, Chile
¹¹ Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks, Rm 100, Norman OK 73019-2061, USA
¹² Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena CA 91101, USA
¹³ Departamento de Astronomia, Universidad de Chile, 36D Casilla, Santiago, Chile
¹⁴ Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee FL 32306, USA
¹⁵ Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, NJ 08544, USA
¹⁶ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 3255, Chapel Hill, 27599-3255, USA

Received: 22 October 2013
Accepted: 18 November 2013

Abstract

A comprehensive set of optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometry and spectroscopy is presented for the faint and fast 2008ha-like supernova (SN) 2010ae. Contingent on the adopted value of host extinction, SN 2010ae reached a peak brightness of −13.8 > M_V > −15.3 mag, while modeling of the UVOIR light curve suggests it produced 0.003–0.007 M_⊙ of ⁵⁶Ni, ejected 0.30−0.60 M_⊙ of material, and had an explosion energy of 0.04–0.30 × 10⁵¹ erg. The values of these explosion parameters are similar to the peculiar SN 2008ha –for which we also present previously unpublished early phase optical and NIR light curves – and places these two transients at the faint end of the 2002cx-like SN population. Detailed inspection of the post-maximum NIR spectroscopic sequence indicates the presence of a multitude of spectral features, which are identified through SYNAPPS modeling to be mainly attributed to Co ii. Comparison with a collection of published and unpublished NIR spectra of other 2002cx-like SNe, reveals that a Co ii footprint is ubiquitous to this subclass of transients, providing a link to Type Ia SNe. A visual-wavelength spectrum of SN 2010ae obtained at +252 days past maximum shows a striking resemblance to a similar epoch spectrum of SN 2002cx. However, subtle differences in the strength and ratio of calcium emission features, as well as diversity among similar epoch spectra of other 2002cx-like SNe indicates a range of physical conditions of the ejecta, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of thispeculiar class of transients.