Quark-Novae occurring in massive binaries : A universal energy source in superluminous Supernovae with double-peaked light curves

TL;DR

This paper proposes a model where Quark-Novae in massive binaries explain the double-peaked light curves of superluminous supernovae, fitting observed data with a universal energy source and detailed binary interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Quark-Nova-based model for superluminous supernovae with double peaks, linking binary evolution and quark star formation to observed light curves.

Findings

Model fits 8 superluminous supernovae with double peaks.

Universal energy of 2x10^52 erg explains the first peak.

Shock interaction accounts for late-time emissions.

Abstract

A Quark-Nova (QN, the sudden transition from a neutron star into a quark star) which occurs in the second common envelope (CE) phase of a massive binary (Ouyed et al., 2015a&b), gives excellent fits to super-luminous, hydrogen-poor, Supernovae (SLSNe) with double-peaked light curves including DES13S2cmm, SN 2006oz and LSQ14bdq (http://www.quarknova.ca/LCGallery.html). In our model, the H envelope of the less massive companion is ejected during the first CE phase while the QN occurs deep inside the second, He-rich, CE phase after the CE has expanded in size to a radius of a few tens to a few thousands solar radii, this yields the first peak in our model. The ensuing merging of the quark star with the CO core leads to black hole formation and accretion explaining the second long-lasting peak. We study a sample of 8 SLSNe Ic with double-humped light-curves. Our model provides good fits to all of these with a universal explosive energy of 2x10^52 erg (which is the kinetic energy of the QN ejecta) for the first hump. The late-time emissions seen in iPTF13ehe and LSQ14bdq are fit with a shock interaction between the outgoing He-rich (i.e second) CE and the previously ejected H-rich (i.e first) CE.