SN 2020pvb: A Type IIn-P supernova with a precursor outburst

¹ INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, Padova 35122, Italy
e-mail: nancy.elias@inaf.it
² Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
³ The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
⁴ School of Physics, O’Brien Centre for Science North, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
⁵ Heidelberger Institut für Theoretische Studien, Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany
⁶ European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Casilla 19, Santiago, Chile
⁷ Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), Nuncio Monseñor Sótero Sanz 100, Off. 104, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
⁸ Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650216, PR China
⁹ Key Laboratory for the Structure and Evolution of Celestial Objects, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650216, PR China
¹⁰ International Centre of Supernovae, Yunnan Key Laboratory, Kunming 650216, PR China
¹¹ Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, 300 Jhongda Road, 32001 Jhongli, Taiwan
¹² CNRS, Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP) and Sorbonne Université (Paris 6), 98bis, Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris, France
¹³ Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warszawa, Poland
¹⁴ Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
¹⁵ Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology, School of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
¹⁶ Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
¹⁷ Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
¹⁸ School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Diogenes street, Engomi, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus
¹⁹ Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Casilla 7D, Arica, Chile
²⁰ INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate (LC), Italy
²¹ Cosmic DAWN Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 128, 2200 København N, Denmark
²² Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
²³ Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
²⁴ INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo, Via M. Maggini snc, Teramo 64100, Italy
²⁵ Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
²⁶ Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
²⁷ Gran Telescopio Canarias (GRANTECAN), Cuesta de San José s/n, 38712 Breña Baja, La Palma, Spain
²⁸ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Vía Láctea s/n, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
²⁹ Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, ic2, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
³⁰ Max-Planck Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85741 Garching bei München, Germany
³¹ INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (RM), Italy
³² Space Science Data Center – ASI, Via del Politecnico SNC, 00133 Roma, Italy
³³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
³⁴ Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

Received: 30 November 2023
Accepted: 2 February 2024

Abstract

We present photometric and spectroscopic datasets for SN 2020pvb, a Type IIn-P supernova (SN) that is similar to SNe 1994W, 2005cl, 2009kn, and 2011ht, with a precursor outburst detected (PS1 w band ∼–13.8 mag) around four months before the B-band maximum light. SN 2020pvb presents a relatively bright light curve that peaked at M_B = −17.95 ± 0.30 mag and a plateau that lasted at least 40 days before going into solar conjunction. After this, the object was no longer visible at phases > 150 days above –12.5 mag in the B band, suggesting that the SN 2020pvb ejecta interact with a dense, spatially confined circumstellar envelope. SN 2020pvb shows strong Balmer lines and a forest of Fe II lines with narrow P Cygni profiles in its spectra. Using archival images from the Hubble Space Telescope, we constrained the progenitor of SN 2020pvb to have a luminosity of log(L/L_⊙)≲5.4, ruling out any single star progenitor over 50 M_⊙. SN 2020pvb is a Type IIn-P whose progenitor star had an outburst ∼0.5 yr before the final explosion; the material lost during this outburst probably plays a role in shaping the physical properties of the SN.