Endurance of SN 2005ip after a decade: X-rays, radio, and H-alpha like SN 1988Z require long-lived pre-supernova mass loss

TL;DR

This study presents long-term observations of SN2005ip and other Type IIn supernovae, revealing sustained circumstellar interaction over a decade, indicating prolonged pre-supernova mass loss from massive red supergiants.

Contribution

It provides the first radio detection and extensive late-time spectra of SN2005ip, demonstrating ongoing CSM interaction and linking it to long-lasting pre-supernova mass loss.

Findings

SN2005ip's CSM interaction persists over a decade.

H-alpha luminosity variability indicates interaction with a dense shell.

Extended mass loss occurs for about 1,000 years before explosion.

Abstract

SN2005ip was a TypeIIn event notable for its sustained strong interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), coronal emission lines, and IR excess, interpreted as shock interaction with the very dense and clumpy wind of an extreme red supergiant. We present a series of late-time spectra of SN2005ip and a first radio detection of this SN, plus late-time X-rays, all of which indicate that its CSM interaction is still strong a decade post-explosion. We also present and discuss new spectra of geriatric SNe with continued CSM interaction: SN1988Z, SN1993J, and SN1998S. From 3-10 yr post-explosion, SN2005ip's H-alpha luminosity and other observed characteristics were nearly identical to those of the radio-luminous SN1988Z, and much more luminous than SNe1993J and 1998S. At 10 yr after explosion, SN2005ip showed a drop in H$\alpha$ luminosity, followed by a quick resurgence over several months. We interpret this variability as ejecta crashing into a dense shell located at around 0.05 pc from the star, which may be the same shell that caused the IR echo at earlier epochs. The extreme H-alpha luminosities in SN2005ip and SN1988Z are still dominated by the forward shock at 10 yr post-explosion, whereas SN1993J and SN1998S are dominated by the reverse shock at a similar age. Continuous strong CSM interaction in SNe~2005ip and 1988Z is indicative of enhanced mass loss for about 1e3 yr before core collapse, longer than Ne, O, or Si burning phases. Instead, the episodic mass loss must extend back through C burning and perhaps even part of He burning.