Models of interacting supernovae and their spectral diversity

TL;DR

This paper uses radiation-hydrodynamics and radiative-transfer simulations to investigate the spectral diversity of interacting supernovae (SNe IIn), revealing how different progenitor configurations can produce observed spectral features and their evolution.

Contribution

It introduces new dynamical models involving low-energy ejections and multiple shells to explain the spectral diversity of SNe IIn, especially SN1994W.

Findings

A standard SN ejecta-CSM interaction model cannot reproduce SN1994W spectra.

A model with a low-mass inner shell and a high-mass outer shell explains SN1994W's spectral features.

Spectral morphology and evolution are sensitive to the structure and dynamics of the circumstellar environment.

Abstract

Using radiation-hydrodynamics and radiative-transfer simulations, we explore the origin of the spectral diversity of interacting supernovae (SNe) of type IIn. We revisit SN1994W and investigate the dynamical configurations that can give rise to spectra with narrow lines at all times. We find that a standard ~10Msun 10^51erg SN ejecta ramming into a 0.4Msun dense CSM is inadequate for SN1994W, as it leads to the appearance of broad lines at late times. This structure, however, generates spectra that exhibit the key morphological changes seen in SN1998S. For SN1994W, we consider a completely different configuration, which involves the interaction at a large radius of a low mass inner shell with a high mass outer shell. Such a structure may arise in an 8-12Msun star from a nuclear flash (e.g., of Ne) followed within a few years by core collapse. Our simulations show that the large mass of the outer shell leads to the complete braking of the inner shell material, the formation of a slow dense shell, and the powering of a luminous SN IIn, even for a low inner shell energy. Early on, our model line profiles are typical of SNe IIn, exhibiting narrow cores and broad electron-scattering wings. As observed in SN1994W, they also remain narrow at late times. Our SN1994W model invokes two low energy ejections, both atypical of observed massive stars, and illustrates the diversity of configurations leading to SNe IIn. These results also highlight the importance of spectra to constrain the dynamical properties and understand the origin of SNe IIn.