The luminous late-time emission of the type Ic supernova iPTF15dtg - evidence for powering from a magnetar?

TL;DR

This study reveals that the late-time luminosity of the Type Ic supernova iPTF15dtg is best explained by a combination of radioactive decay and magnetar powering, challenging previous assumptions about its progenitor mass.

Contribution

It provides the first spectroscopic evidence that a magnetar significantly powers the late-time emission of a regular Type Ic supernova.

Findings

Late-time luminosity decline is much slower than expected from $^{56}$Co decay.

A combined model of radioactivity and magnetar best fits the observed light curve.

Progenitor mass estimates are revised downward based on the magnetar contribution.

Abstract

iPTF15dtg is a Type Ic supernova (SN) showing a broad light curve around maximum light, consistent with massive ejecta if we assume a radioactive-powering scenario. We study the late-time light curve of iPTF15dtg, which turned out to be extraordinarily luminous for a stripped-envelope (SE) SN. We compare the observed light curves to those of other SE SNe and also with models for the $^{56}$Co decay. We analyze and compare the spectra to nebular spectra of other SE SNe. We build a bolometric light curve and fit it with different models, including powering by radioactivity, magnetar powering, as well as a combination of the two. Between 150 d and 750 d past explosion, iPTF15dtg's luminosity declined by merely two magnitudes instead of the six magnitudes expected from $^{56}$Co decay. This is the first spectroscopically-regular SE SN showing this behavior. The model with both radioactivity and magnetar powering provides the best fit to the light curve and appears to be the more realistic powering mechanism. An alternative mechanism might be CSM interaction. However, the spectra of iPTF15dtg are very similar to those of other SE SNe, and do not show signs of strong CSM interaction. iPTF15dtg is the first spectroscopically-regular SE SN whose light curve displays such clear signs of a magnetar contributing to the powering of the late time light curve. Given this result, the mass of the ejecta needs to be revised to a lower value, and therefore the progenitor mass could be significantly lower than the previously estimated $>$35 $M_{\odot}$.