Photometric Selection of High-Redshift Type Ia Supernova Candidates

We present a method for selecting high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) located via rolling SN searches. The technique, using both color and magnitude information of events from only two to three epochs of multiband real-time photometry, is able to discriminate between SNe Ia and core-collapse SNe. Furthermore, for SNe Ia the method accurately predicts the redshift, phase, and light-curve parameterization of these events based only on pre-maximum-light data. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique on a simulated survey of SNe Ia and core-collapse SNe, where the selection method effectively rejects most core-collapse SNe while retaining SNe Ia. We also apply the selection code to real-time data acquired as part of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS). During the period 2004 May to 2005 January in the SNLS, 440 SN candidates were discovered, of which 70 were confirmed spectroscopically as SNe Ia and 15 as core-collapse events. For this test data set, the selection technique correctly identifies 100% of the identified SNe II as non-SNe Ia with only a 1%-2% false rejection rate. The predicted parameterization of the SNe Ia has a precision of /(1 + zspec) < 0.09 in redshift and ±2-3 rest-frame days in phase, providing invaluable information for planning spectroscopic follow-up observations. We also investigate any bias introduced by this selection method on the ability of surveys such as SNLS to measure cosmological parameters (e.g., w and ΩM) and find any effect to be negligible.