Time Dependent Radiative Transfer Calculations for Supernovae

TL;DR

This paper presents enhancements to the CMFGEN radiative transfer code enabling comprehensive time-dependent modeling of supernova ejecta, improving the simulation of spectra and light curves across all SN types for better understanding of their properties.

Contribution

The authors upgraded the CMFGEN code to perform fully time-dependent radiative transfer modeling of supernova ejecta in homologous expansion, covering all SN types.

Findings

Enhanced code allows simultaneous calculation of spectra and light curves.

Modeling now includes entire ejecta from core to surface layers.

Improved insights into supernova progenitors and explosion mechanisms.

Abstract

In previous papers we discussed results from fully time-dependent radiative transfer models for core-collapse supernova (SN) ejecta, including the Type II-peculiar SN 1987A, the more "generic" SN II-Plateau, and more recently Type IIb/Ib/Ic SNe. Here we describe the modifications to our radiative modeling code, CMFGEN, which allowed those studies to be undertaken. The changes allow for time-dependent radiative transfer of SN ejecta in homologous expansion. In the modeling we treat the entire SN ejecta, from the innermost layer that does not fall back on the compact remnant out to the progenitor surface layers. From our non-LTE time-dependent line-blanketed synthetic spectra, we compute the bolometric and multi-band light curves: light curves and spectra are thus calculated simultaneously using the same physical processes and numerics. These upgrades, in conjunction with our previous modifications which allow the solution of the time dependent rate equations, will improve the modeling of SN spectra and light curves, and hence facilitate new insights into SN ejecta properties, the SN progenitors and the explosion mechanism(s). CMFGEN can now be applied to the modeling of all SN types