Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1004.0615

Core-Collapse Supernovae from the Palomar Transient Factory: Indications for a Different Population in Dwarf Galaxies

Iair Arcavi·Avishay Gal-Yam·Mansi M. Kasliwal·Robert M. Quimby·Eran O. Ofek·Shrinivas R. Kulkarni·Peter E. Nugent·S. Bradley Cenko·Joshua S. Bloom·Mark Sullivan·D. Andrew Howell·Dovi Poznanski·Alexei V. Filippenko·Nicholas Law·Isobel Hook·Jakob Jonsson·Sarah Blake·Jeff Cooke·Richard Dekany·Gustavo Rahmer·David Hale·Roger Smith·Jeff Zolkower·Viswa Velur·Richard Walters·John Henning·Kahnh Bui·Dan McKenna·Janet Jacobsen
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We use the first compilation of 72 core-collapse supernovae (SNe) from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) to study their observed subtype distribution in dwarf galaxies compared to giant galaxies. Our sample is the largest single-survey, untargeted, spectroscopically classified, homogeneous collection of core-collapse events ever assembled, spanning a wide host-galaxy luminosity range (down to M_r ~ -14 mag) and including a substantial fraction (>20%) of dwarf (M_r >= -18 mag) hosts. We find more core-collapse SNe in dwarf galaxies than expected and several interesting trends emerge. We use detailed subclassifications of stripped-envelope core-collapse SNe and find that all Type I core-collapse events occurring in dwarf galaxies are either SNe Ib or broad-lined SNe Ic (SNe Ic-BL), while "normal" SNe Ic dominate in giant galaxies. We also see a significant excess of SNe IIb in dwarf hosts. We hypothesize that in lower metallicity hosts, metallicity-driven mass loss is reduced, allowing massive stars that would have appeared as "normal" SNe Ic in metal-rich galaxies to retain some He and H, exploding as Ib/IIb events. At the same time, another mechanism allows some stars to undergo extensive stripping and explode as SNe Ic-BL (and presumably also as long-duration gamma-ray bursts). Our results are still limited by small-number statistics, and our measurements of the observed N(Ib/c)/N(II) number ratio in dwarf and giant hosts (0.25_{-0.15}^{+0.3} and 0.23_{-0.08}^{+0.11}, respectively; 1 sigma uncertainties) are consistent with previous studies and theoretical predictions. As additional PTF data accumulate, more robust statistical analyses will be possible, allowing the evolution of massive stars to be probed via the dwarf-galaxy SN population.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.COastro-ph.SR

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Iair Arcavi, Avishay Gal-Yam, Mansi M. Kasliwal, Robert M. Quimby, Eran O. Ofek, Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, Peter E. Nugent, S. Bradley Cenko, Joshua S. Bloom, Mark Sullivan, D. Andrew Howell, Dovi Poznanski, Alexei V. Filippenko, Nicholas Law, Isobel Hook, Jakob Jonsson, Sarah Blake, Jeff Cooke, Richard Dekany, Gustavo Rahmer, David Hale, Roger Smith, Jeff Zolkower, Viswa Velur, Richard Walters, John Henning, Kahnh Bui, Dan McKenna, Janet Jacobsen. 2010-07-29. Core-Collapse Supernovae from the Palomar Transient Factory: Indications for a Different Population in Dwarf Galaxies. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637x%2F721%2F1%2F777

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

From quantum fluctuations to galaxy power spectrum multipoles

These notes trace large-scale structure from primordial curvature perturbations generated by inflationary quantum fluctuations to galaxy power-spectrum multipoles. Three core lectures develop the linear matter power spectrum, spherical and anisotropic collapse, galaxy bias, redshift-space distortions, the Kaiser model, and multipole estimators with Gaussian covariance. The extension develops nonlinear bias and the one-loop effective field theory model used in full-shape analyses. Derivations are explicit; appendices collect longer calculations and solutions. The core lectures assume undergraduate-level cosmology; the extension assumes familiarity with perturbation theory.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2026

A universal connection between lens density profiles and low-frequency wave optics in gravitational-wave lensing

We investigate the low-frequency behavior of the amplification factor in gravitational lensing and explore how it encodes information about the density profile of the lensing object. We derive the low-frequency expansion of the amplification factor under the Born approximation for a broad class of projected density profiles. For spherically symmetric profiles that decay faster than any power law at large distances, we derive a systematic expansion of the amplification factor in powers of frequency, with the logarithmic dependence appearing only in the leading term, and show that each expansion coefficient is determined by a finite set of moments of the density profile. We then extend the analysis to profiles with power-law tails and demonstrate that such profiles induce additional non-analytic frequency dependences, including fractional powers and logarithmic terms, which directly reflect the asymptotic behavior of the density distribution. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of non-sphericity and show that contributions from the quadrupole moment appear only as higher-order corrections relative to the spherically symmetric component in the low-frequency regime. Finally, we investigate the validity of the Born approximation in the low-frequency expansion. We derive a criterion for the maximum order of the low-frequency expansion up to which the Born approximation remains dominant over the post-Born corrections.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2026

Initial clustering of primordial black holes: A general formulation for arbitrary local non-Gaussianity

Initial spatial clustering of primordial black holes (PBHs) induced by local-type non-Gaussianity (LNG) can substantially modify cosmological constraints on PBH abundance. Several inflationary scenarios that enhance curvature perturbations at small scales relevant to PBH formation predict LNG that is not necessarily perturbative. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a theoretical framework capable of investigating the initial clustering induced by arbitrary LNG. Here, we present a general analytical formulation for the PBH two-point correlation function applicable to arbitrary LNGs in the alternative approach. Under the assumptions that PBHs form only at the large peaks of perturbations, and that large-scale modes weakly modulate the local variance of small-scale perturbations, we derive an analytic expression for the PBH bias parameter, directly connecting initial clustering to the primordial trispectrum in the collapsed limit. We demonstrate the versatility of our formula by computing the bias parameters in the ultra-slow-roll inflation, curvaton, and modulated reheating scenarios. We also formally generalize the framework to broad power spectra to account for correlations across different PBH mass scales. Because our formulation does not rely on weak or perturbative non-Gaussianity assumptions, our result provides a universal theoretical basis for evaluating initial clustering impact on PBH observables.

astro-ph.CO↗