Bridging the gap between SLSNe and SE-SNe
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The Type I super-luminous supernova SN 2024jlc (ZTF24aapadbb) exploded on 25 May 2024 at z = 0.039. This was the closest supernova of this class discovered in recent years and one of the closest ever. It therefore represented a rare opportunity to study this type of object in detail. We performed a multiwavelength analysis that spanned ten orders of magnitude in frequency and included optical and UV photometry and spectroscopy, soft and hard X-rays, and high-energy γ -rays. We characterized the event as a slow-evolving and He-rich supernova, with one of the lowest peak luminosities reported for a super-luminous event M g ∼ −19.37 mag, and a light-curve evolution compatible with either a circumstellar interaction and a magnetar spin-down model, with noticeable contribution from 56 Ni decay. No significant excess was found in the soft and hard X-ray bands, for which we provide upper limits on the flux. Additionally, we analyzed two years of Fermi -LAT data, from which we report an intriguing hint of a γ -ray signal at the ∼3.6 σ level, although no firm detection can be claimed. The ratio of gamma to optical efficiency, η = 0.38, suggests a central-engine scenario, similar to SN 2017egm. Our analysis suggests that SN 2024jlc might bridge the gap between super-luminous supernovae and classical stripped-envelope supernovae. While still poorly populated, this bridge might consist of all super-luminous Ib supernovae, with the key difference residing in the powering mechanism.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Institutions: University of Rome Tor Vergata, Astronomical Observatory of Rome, National Institute for Astrophysics, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Cité, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Institute of Space Sciences, Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Liverpool John Moores University, University College London, California Institute of Technology, Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Nordic Optical Telescope, Northwestern University, NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky, University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
Funders: National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, Space Telescope Science Institute, Queen's University Belfast, Durham University, Trinity College Dublin, Weizmann Institute of Science, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Queen's University, National Central University, Stockholms Universitet, Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Goddard Space Flight Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Science Mission Directorate, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules, Astrophysics Science Division, Planetary Science Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Awards: G1532879105, The SED Machine: an Efficient Transient Classifier, Exploring & Exploiting the Dynamic Optical Sky, NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI Institute), G4474636675, G618131832, A NEO SEARCH PROGRAM USING THE PAN-STARRS PS1 TELESCOPETHE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO USE T, G7187964967, G7441047379, Pan-STARRS1: Operations; Public Data Release; Education and Outreach, G833430883
OpenAlex ID: W7172212557