A magnetar model for the hydrogen-rich super-luminous supernova iPTF14hls

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a magnetar can power hydrogen-rich super-luminous supernovae, reproducing key observed features of iPTF14hls through detailed radiative transfer simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a magnetar-powered model for H-rich SLSNe, showing it can explain their luminosity, color, and spectral features without requiring super-massive ejecta.

Findings

Magnetar power enhances luminosity and temperature of SN ejecta.

The model reproduces sustained brightness and broad HI lines observed in iPTF14hls.

Magnetar influence can differentiate Type II SLSNe from standard SNe.

Abstract

Transient surveys have recently revealed the existence of H-rich super-luminous supernovae (SLSN; e.g., iPTF14hls, OGLE-SN14-073) characterized by an exceptionally large time-integrated bolometric luminosity, a sustained blue optical color, and Doppler-broadened HI lines at all times. Here, I investigate the effect that a magnetar (initial rotational energy of 4x10^50erg and field strength of 7x10^13G) would have on the properties of a typical Type II SN ejecta (mass of 13.35Msun, kinetic energy of 1.32x10^51erg, 0.077Msun of 56Ni) produced by the terminal explosion of an H-rich blue-supergiant star. I present a non-LTE time-dependent radiative transfer simulation of the resulting photometric and spectroscopic evolution from 1d until 600d after explosion. With magnetar power, the model luminosity and brightness are enhanced, the ejecta is everywhere hotter and more ionised, and the spectrum formation region is much more extended. This magnetar-powered SN ejecta reproduces most of the observed properties of SLSN iPTF14hls, including the sustained brightness of -18mag in the R band, the blue optical color, and the broad HI lines for 600d. The non-extreme magnetar properties, combined with the standard Type II SN ejecta properties offer an interesting alternative to the pair-unstable super-massive star model recently proposed, which involves a highly-energetic and super-massive ejecta. Hence, such Type II SLSNe may differ from standard Type II SNe exclusively through the influence of a magnetar.