Comparisons of Type Ia Supernova Light Curves in the UV and Optical with the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope

TL;DR

This study analyzes UV and optical light curves of 97 Type Ia supernovae using Swift data, revealing correlations that suggest UV observations can inform optical properties for cosmological research.

Contribution

The paper introduces a method using principal component analysis to model supernova light curves across UV and optical wavelengths, highlighting UV's potential in cosmology.

Findings

Little variability difference across filters in principal component scores

Correlations between UV and optical light curve properties

UV light curves can predict optical characteristics

Abstract

We examine the light curve parameters of 97 nearby Type Ia supernovae in the ultraviolet and optical using observations from the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope. Our light curve models used a linear combinations of templates, which were based on Functional Principal Component Analysis of the optical photometry of SNe Ia. The weights for each principal component used in the fit capture certain aspects of the light curve properties. We find that there is little difference in the overall variability of principal component scores across filters. We also find correlations between certain filters and PC components, indicating that the UV and optical properties seem to be tied together. This is a promising step in UV SNe Ia analysis, and suggests that UV light curves may be used to infer optical properties, paving the way for future cosmological studies.