2000/06/19 by Thomas Matheson, Alexei V. Filippenko, Luis C. Ho +2 · 257 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Absorption (acoustics) #Astronomical spectroscopy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Ejecta #Emission spectrum #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Line (geometry) #Spectral line #Supernova #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/301519
published in The Astronomical Journal 120(3), 1499-1515 (Institute of Physics) · 34 pages, 16 figures, AASTeX V5.0. Accepted for publication in AJ
arxiv created 2000/06/19 · openalex publication_date 2000/09/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present a detailed study of line structure in early to late-time spectra of supernova (SN) 1993J. Spectra during the nebular phase, but within the first two years after explosion, exhibit small-scale structure in the emission lines of some species, notably oxygen and magnesium, showing that the ejecta of SN 1993J are clumpy. On the other hand, a lack of structure in emission lines of calcium implies that the source of calcium emission is uniformly distributed throughout the ejecta. These results are interpreted as evidence that oxygen emission originates in clumpy, newly synthesized material, while calcium emission arises from material preexisting in the atmosphere of the progenitor. Spectra spanning the range 433–2454 days after the explosion show boxlike profiles for the emission lines, clearly indicating circumstellar interaction in a roughly spherical shell. This is interpreted within the Chevalier & Fransson model for SNe interacting with mass lost during prior stellar winds. At very late times, the emission lines have a two-horned profile, implying the formation of a somewhat flattened or disklike structure that is a significant source of emission. The very high signal-to-noise ratio spectra are used to demonstrate the potential significance of misinterpretation of telluric absorption lines in the spectra of bright SNe.