2006/05/31 by P. Ferrero, D. A. Kann, A. Zeh +15 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20065530
accepted for publication in A&A, updated references
arxiv created 2006/07/18 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
The supernova SN 2006aj associated with GRB 060218 is the second-closest GRB-SN observed to date (z=0.033). We present Very Large Telescope, Liverpool Telescope, and Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope multi-color photometry of SN 2006aj. This supernova is found to be subluminous and rapidly evolving. Its early light curve includes an additional wavelength-dependent component, which can be interpreted as shock break-out. We compare the photometric evolution of multi-band light curves with the corresponding properties of the present sample of more than 10 GRB-SNe with precisely known redshifts. Using host-galaxy extinction measurements, we derive extinction-corrected GRB-SN luminosities and place SN 2006aj in the context of this GRB-selected supernova sample as well as in the context of local stripped-envelope supernovae.