Spectral modelling of Type IIb Supernovae

TL;DR

This study employs advanced NLTE spectral synthesis to model a Type IIb supernova, demonstrating how macroscopic mixing influences lightcurves and spectral lines, and confirming the progenitor's initial mass around 12 solar masses.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed NLTE modeling approach for Type IIb supernovae, emphasizing the impact of macroscopic mixing on observable features and progenitor characteristics.

Findings

Macroscopic mixing affects lightcurve width and opacity.

Mixing influences nebular line cooling rates.

Progenitor star likely had initial mass ~12 solar masses.

Abstract

We use the new NLTE lightcurve and spectral synthesis code JEKYLL to evolve a macroscopically mixed ejecta model of a type IIb Supernova (SN) originating from a star with an initial mass of 12 solar masses through the photospheric and nebular phase. We compare to SN 2011dh, and find that both the spectra and the lightcurves are well reproduced. Our work further strengthens the evidence that this SN originated from a star with an initial mass of about 12 solar masses that had lost all but tiny (<0.1 solar masses) fraction of its hydrogen envelope. We also investigate the effects of the macroscopic mixing by comparing macroscopically and microscopically mixed models, and by varying the clumping geometry. In the photospheric phase, we find strong effects on the effective opacity in the macroscopically mixed regions, which affects the model lightcurves. The diffusion peak is considerably narrower in the macroscopically mixed case, and differs strongly if the radioactive material in the helium envelope is allowed to expand more than in our standard model. The effect is mainly geometrical, and is driven by the expansion of the clumps containing radioactive material. These findings has implications for lightcurve modelling of stripped-envelope SNe in general, and the effect would increase the estimated ejecta masses. In the nebular phase, we find strong effects on the collisional cooling rates in the macroscopically mixed regions, which affects lines driven by collisional cooling, in particular the [Ca II] 7291, 7323 and [O I] 6300, 6364 lines. As these lines are often used for mass determinations, it highlights the importance of how the calcium- and oxygen-rich material is mixed. As shown in this and earlier work, both NLTE and macroscopic mixing are essential ingredients to accurately model the lightcurves and spectra of Type IIb SNe throughout their evolution.