SN 2024igg: A Super-Chandrasekhar/03fg-like SN exhibiting C II-dominated spectra after explosion
/ Authors
Jialian Liu, Xiaofeng Wang, Liyang Chen, A. Filippenko, T. Brink, Weikang Zheng, A. Pastorello, P. Ochner, I. Albanese, A. Reguitti
and 7 more authors
G. Valerin, Yongzhi Cai, Jujia Zhang, Liping Li, Zhenyu Wang, Liang-Duan Liu, Yuhao Zhang
/ Abstract
We present and analyze photometric and spectroscopic observations of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2024igg, another ``super-Chandrasekhar''(or 03fg-like) SN whose strong C II $\lambda6580$ feature was initially misidentified as H$\alpha$, thereby constraining its progenitor system, explosion parameters, and physical scenario. SN 2024igg shows many characteristics in common with other 03fg-like objects, such as high ultraviolet flux, slowly declining light curves ($\Delta m_{15}(B)=0.90\pm0.08$ mag), low expansion velocities, along with strong and persistent C II absorption. Meanwhile, this SN exhibits some remarkable properties within this subgroup, including a moderately low optical luminosity ($M_{\rm max}(B)=-18.99\pm0.15$ mag), a short rise time less than 18.5 days, and strong C II $\lambda6580$. The bolometric analysis yields a $^{56}$Ni mass of $M_{\rm Ni}=0.547\pm0.082$ $M_{\rm \odot}$ and an ejecta mass of $1.54^{+0.22}_{-0.19}$ $M_{\rm \odot}$, marginally exceeding the Chandrasekhar mass. Our TARDIS result indicates that most of the features in the earliest spectrum could be attributed to C II, which is consistent with a model where a supernova explodes within a carbon-rich circumstellar medium (CSM). The CSM interaction would produce a density peak in the ejecta, offering a natural explanation for the slowly evolving line velocities near $-$8000 km s$^{-1}$. The CSM may stem from the debris of a secondary white dwarf in a white-dwarf merger or the envelope of an asymptotic giant branch star. Combined with the unshifted forbidden lines in the spectrum taken at $t\approx\ +$135 days, we suggest that SN 2024igg comes from a symmetric explosion on a secular timescale after the merger.