A likely inverse-Compton emission from the Type IIb SN 2013df

TL;DR

This paper reports the first observational evidence linking inverse-Compton X-ray emission with optical light in a Type IIb supernova, supporting models of supernova shock interactions and progenitor characteristics.

Contribution

It presents the discovery of correlated X-ray and optical enhancements in SN 2013df, confirming inverse-Compton emission as a key process in early supernova phases.

Findings

X-ray and optical light curves show simultaneous enhancements.

High-speed ejecta colliding with stellar wind explains the emission.

Progenitor mass-loss rate matches Hubble observations.

Abstract

The inverse-Compton X-ray emission model for supernovae has been well established to explain the X-ray properties of many supernovae for over 30 years. However, no observational case has yet been found to connect the X-rays with the optical lights as they should be. Here, we report the discovery of a hard X-ray source that is associated with a Type II-b supernova. Simultaneous emission enhancements have been found in both the X-ray and optical light curves twenty days after the supernova explosion. While the enhanced X-rays are likely dominated by inverse-Compton scatterings of the supernova's lights from the Type II-b secondary peak, we propose a scenario of a high-speed supernova ejecta colliding with a low-density pre-supernova stellar wind that produces an optically thin and high-temperature electron gas for the Comptonization. The inferred stellar wind mass-loss rate is consistent with that of the supernova progenitor candidate as a yellow supergiant detected by the Hubble Space Telescope, providing an independent proof for the progenitor. This is also new evidence of the inverse-Compton emission during the early phase of a supernova.