Quark nova imprint in the extreme supernova explosion SN 2006gy

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quark nova model to explain the extreme luminosity and spectral features of supernova SN 2006gy, successfully reproducing its observed photometric and spectroscopic characteristics.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed quark nova interaction model that explains the unique features of SN 2006gy, a superluminous supernova, and fits observational data.

Findings

The quark nova model reproduces the light curve plateau.

The model explains the broad Hα line and blue absorption.

Progenitor mass estimated between 20 and 40 solar masses.

Abstract

The extremely luminous supernova 2006gy (SN 2006gy) is among the most energetic ever observed. The peak brightness was 100 times that of a typical supernova and it spent an unheard of 250 days at magnitude -19 or brighter. Efforts to describe SN 2006gy have pushed the boundaries of current supernova theory. In this work we aspire to simultaneously reproduce the photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2006gy using a quark nova model. This analysis considers the supernova explosion of a massive star followed days later by the quark nova detonation of a neutron star. We lay out a detailed model of the interaction between the supernova envelope and the quark nova ejecta paying special attention to a mixing region which forms at the inner edge of the supernova envelope. This model is then fit to photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2006gy. This QN model naturally describes several features of SN 2006gy including the late stage light curve plateau, the broad H{\alpha} line and the peculiar blue H{\alpha} absorption. We find that a progenitor mass between 20Msun and 40Msun provides ample energy to power SN 2006gy in the context of a QN.