Using CSST and ejecta-wind interaction in type II-P supernovae to constrain the wind-mass loss of red supergiant stars

TL;DR

This study explores how the China Space Station Telescope can detect late-time ultraviolet signatures of ejecta-wind interactions in type II-P supernovae, aiding in constraining red supergiant star mass loss.

Contribution

It demonstrates the potential of CSST to observe NUV signatures of ejecta-wind interactions in SNe II-P, providing a new method to study RSG wind-mass loss.

Findings

CSST can detect NUV signatures of ejecta-wind interaction in hundreds of SNe II-P.

The detection range extends to a few hundred Mpc.

This method will help constrain the mass loss history of RSG progenitors.

Abstract

The properties of H-rich, type II-plateau supernova (SN II-P) progenitors remain uncertain, and this is primarily due to the complexities associated with red supergiant (RSG) wind-mass loss. Recent studies have suggested that the interaction of the ejecta with a standard RSG wind should produce unambiguous signatures in the optical (e.g., a broad, boxy H${\alpha}$ profile) and in the UV (especially Ly ${\alpha}$ and Mg ii ${\lambda}{\lambda}$ 2795, 2802) a few years following the explosion. Such features are expected to be generic in all SNe II-P and can be utilized to constrain RSG winds. Here, we investigate the possibility of detecting late-time (0.3-10 years since explosion) SNe II-P in the NUV with the China Space Station Telescope (CSST). Convolving the existing model spectra of ejecta-wind interactions in SNe II-P with the transmission functions of the CSST, we calculated the associated multiband light curves, in particular, the NUV (255 nm${\sim}$317 nm) band, as well as the $NUV-r$ color. We find that the CSST will be able to detect the NUV radiation associated with ejecta-wind interaction for hundreds SNe II-P out to a few hundred Mpc over its ten-year main sky survey. The CSST will therefore provide a sizable sample of SNe II-P with the NUV signatures of ejecta-wind interaction. This will be helpful for understanding the mass loss history of SN II-P progenitors and their origins.