The pre-SN activity as a possible explanation of the peculiar properties of Type IIP Supernova 2009kf

TL;DR

This paper suggests that the peculiar brightness of Supernova 2009kf can be explained by super-Eddington energy injection into its envelope prior to explosion, providing a new perspective on the origins of bright Type IIP supernovae.

Contribution

It introduces a model where pre-supernova energy injection accounts for the unusual properties of SN 2009kf, a novel explanation for bright Type IIP supernovae.

Findings

Pre-SN energy injection explains SN 2009kf's brightness.

Model fits observational data with realistic explosion energy.

Pre-SN energy injection may be common in bright SNe IIP.

Abstract

SN 2009kf is an exceptionally bright Type IIP Supernova (SN IIP) discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey. The $V$-band magnitude at the plateau phase is $M_{V} = -18.4$ mag, which is much brighter than typical SNe IIP. We propose that its unusual properties can be naturally explained, if we assume that there was an super-Eddington energy injection into the envelope in the last few years of the evolution before the SN explosion. Using a progenitor model with such an pre-SN energy injection, we can fit the observational data of SN 2009kf with the reasonable explosion energy of $E_{\mathrm{exp}} = 2.8 \times 10^{51}$ erg and the $^{56}$Ni mass of $0.25 M_{\odot}$. Specifically, we injected the energy into the envelope at a constant rate of $3.0 \times 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the last 3.0 years of evolution before the core collapse. We propose that some of the unusually bright SNe IIP might result from the pre-SN energy injection to the envelope.