A spectropolarimetric view on the nature of the peculiar Type I SN 2005hk

TL;DR

This study presents spectropolarimetric observations of SN 2005hk, revealing low polarization levels that suggest a nearly spherical explosion mechanism, similar to Type Ia supernovae, and discusses its possible origin as a white dwarf deflagration.

Contribution

First spectropolarimetric analysis of SN 2005hk showing low polarization levels, indicating a spherical explosion and homogeneous ejecta, and comparing it to Type Ia supernovae.

Findings

Low polarization levels (~0.2-0.3%) suggest near-spherical symmetry.

Spectropolarimetric properties resemble those of Type Ia supernovae.

Supports the hypothesis of a white dwarf deflagration origin.

Abstract

We report two spectropolarimetric observations of SN 2005hk, which is a close copy of the "very peculiar" SN 2002cx, showing low peak luminosity, slow decline, high ionization near peak and an unusually low expansion velocity of only about 7,000 km s^-1. Further to the data presented by Chornock et al., (2006), at -4 days before maximum, we present data of this object taken on 9 November 2005 (near maximum) and 23 November (+ two weeks) that show the continuum and most of the spectral lines to be polarized at levels of about 0.2-0.3%. At both epochs the data corresponds to the Spectropolarimetric Type D1. The general low level of line polarization suggests that the line forming regions for most species observed in the spectrum have a similar shape to that of the photosphere, which deviates from a spherical symmetry by <10%. In comparison with spectropolarimetry of Type Ia and Core-collapse SNe at similar epochs, we find that the properties of SN 2005hk are most similar to those of Type Ia SNe. In particular, we find the low levels of continuum and line polarization to indicate that the explosion mechanism is approximately spherical, with homogeneous ejecta (unlike the chemically segregated ejecta of CCSNe). We discuss the possibility that SN 2005hk was the result of the pure deflagration of a white dwarf and note the issues concerning this interpretation.