http://arxiv.org/abs/1408.1404
The well-studied Type IIn supernova (SN) 1998S is often dubbed the prototypical SN IIn, and it provides a unique opportunity to study its progenitor star from within as the object lights up dense circumstellar material (CSM) launched from the star before it underwent core collapse. In this article we present a Keck HIRES spectrum of SN 1998S taken within a few days after shock breakout — both the earliest high-resolution spectrum published of a SN IIn and the earliest published spectrum of SN 1998S. Our analysis indicates that the inner CSM displays qualitatively different properties from the outer CSM, perhaps owing to a change in the mass-ejection properties of the progenitor ~10 yr before core collapse. Modern SN studies achieve remarkably short turnaround times between the SN shock breakout and the first observed spectrum, but high-resolution spectra of very young SNe are rare; the unique spectrum presented here provides a useful case study for observations of other young SN systems, including SN 2013cu, which displayed a remarkably similar spectrum when very young. We examine the fully resolved emission-line profiles of SN 1998S to ascertain the composition, density, and velocity gradients within the CSM, finding evidence for extreme (and short-lived) mass loss at velocities much less than those characteristic of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. A comparison with a spectrum of SN 2013cu indicates similar sub-WR velocities, suggesting that its progenitor was also not a WR star.
I. Shivvers, J. Mauerhan, D. Leonard, et. al.
Fri, 8 Aug 14
10/52
Comments: 23 pages, 8 figures