Surface Radioactivity or Interactions? Multiple Origins of Early-excess Type Ia Supernovae and Associated Subclasses

TL;DR

This study investigates the origins of early-excess features in Type Ia supernovae, revealing subclass-specific patterns that challenge previous models and suggest multiple physical mechanisms behind early luminosity enhancements.

Contribution

It provides a systematic analysis of 11 early-excess SNe Ia across subclasses, highlighting the diversity and proposing multiple origins for early-excess features.

Findings

Early-excess features are subclass-dependent, especially prevalent in luminous SNe Ia.

The early-excess in luminous SNe Ia is likely due to explosion physics, not viewing angle effects.

Diversity in early-excess features indicates multiple physical origins, complicating progenitor identification.

Abstract

Early-phase Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), especially those with luminosity enhancement within the first few days of explosions ("early-excess SNe Ia"), play an irreplaceable role in addressing the long-standing progenitor and explosion issue of SNe Ia. In this paper, we systematically investigate 11 early-excess SNe Ia from subluminous to luminous subclasses. Eight of them are selected from 23 SNe Ia with extremely early-phase optical light curves ("golden" early-phase SNe Ia), and three of them are selected from 40 SNe Ia (including 14 golden samples) with early-phase UV/NUV light curves. We found that previously discovered early-excess SNe Ia show a clear preference for specific SN Ia subclasses. In particular, the early-excess feature shown in all six luminous (91T- and 99aa-like) SNe Ia is in conflict with the viewing angle dependence predicted by the companion-ejecta interaction scenario. Instead, such a high early-excess fraction is likely related to the explosion physics of luminous SNe Ia; i.e. a more efficient detonation happening in the progenitor of luminous SNe Ia may consequently account for the early-excess feature powered by the radiation from a $^{56}$Ni-abundant outer layer. The diversity of early-excess features shown in different SN Ia subclasses suggests multiple origins of the discovered early-excess SNe Ia, challenging their applicability as a robust progenitor indicator. Further understanding of the early-excess diversity relies not only on multiband photometry and prompt-response spectroscopy of individual early-excess SNe Ia but also on investigations of the general early-phase light-curve behavior of each SN Ia subclass, which can be realized through ongoing/forthcoming transient survey projects in the near future.