Radio observations of SN2004dk with VLITE confirm late-time re-brightening

TL;DR

This paper reports late-time radio observations of SN2004dk that confirm a re-brightening phase linked to interaction with circumstellar material, revealing complex mass-loss history of the supernova progenitor.

Contribution

It presents the first confirmation of late-time radio re-brightening in SN2004dk using VLITE data, modeling the interaction with a complex circumstellar environment.

Findings

Late-time radio re-brightening observed in SN2004dk.

Evidence of interaction with H-rich circumstellar medium.

Complex, non-steady mass-loss history inferred for the progenitor.

Abstract

The study of stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae (SNe), with evidence for strong interaction of SN ejecta with the circumstellar medium (CSM), provides insights into the pre-supernova progenitor, and a fast-forwarded view of the progenitor mass-loss history. In this context, we present late-time radio observations of SN2004dk, a type Ibc supernova located in the galaxy, NGC 6118, at a distance of $d_L \approx 23$ Mpc. About 15 years after explosion, SN2004dk has shown evidence for H$\alpha$ emission, possibly linked to the SN ejecta interacting with an H-rich CSM. Using data from the VLA Low Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE), we confirm the presence of a late-time radio re-brightening accompanying the observed H$\alpha$ emission. We model the SN2004dk radio light curves within the (spherically symmetric) synchrotron-self-absorption (SSA) model. Within this model, our VLITE observations combined with previously collected VLA data favor an interpretation of SN2004dk as a strongly CSM-interacting radio SN going through a complex environment shaped by a non-steady mass-loss from the SN progenitor.