Determining the Type, Redshift, and Age of a Supernova Spectrum

We present an algorithm to identify the type of an SN spectrum and to determine its redshift and age. This algorithm, based on the correlation techniques of Tonry & Davis, is implemented in the Supernova Identification (SNID) code. It is used by members of ongoing high-redshift SN searches to distinguish between Type Ia and Ib/c SNe and to identify "peculiar" SNe Ia. We develop a diagnostic to quantify the quality of a correlation between the input and template spectra, which enables a formal evaluation of the associated redshift error. Furthermore, by comparing the correlation redshifts obtained using SNID with those determined from narrow lines in the SN host galaxy spectrum, we show that accurate redshifts (with a typical error σz 0.01) can be determined for SNe Ia without a spectrum of the host galaxy. Last, the age of an input spectrum is determined with a typical accuracy σt 3 days, shown here by using high-redshift SNe Ia with well-sampled light curves. The success of the correlation technique confirms the similarity of some SNe Ia at low and high redshifts. The SNID code, which will be made available to the community, can also be used for comparative studies of SN spectra, as well as comparisons between data and models.

[1]  O. C. Wilson,et al.  Possible Applications of Supernovae to the Study of the Nebular Red Shifts. , 1939 .

[2]  J. Tonry,et al.  A survey of galaxy redshifts. I. Data reduction techniques. , 1979 .

[3]  S. Woosley,et al.  Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud: The Explosion of a approximately 20 M sun Star Which Has Experienced Mass Loss? , 1987 .

[4]  M. Hamuy,et al.  An Optical Spectrophotometric Atlas of Supernova 1987A in the LMC. I. The First 130 Days , 1988 .

[5]  R. Wade,et al.  The Radial Velocity Curve and Peculiar TiO Distribution of the Red Secondary Star in Z Chamaeleontis , 1988 .

[6]  N. Suntzeff,et al.  An optical spectrophotometric atlas of supernova 1987A in the LMC. II - CCD observations from day 198 to 805 , 1990 .

[7]  R. Kirshner,et al.  Premaximum observations of the type Ia SN 1990N , 1991 .

[8]  R. Kirshner,et al.  Analysis of the photospheric epoch spectra of type 1a supernovae SN 1990N and SN 1991T , 1992 .

[9]  L. Lucy,et al.  Modeling the Iron-dominated Spectra of the Type IA Supernova SN 1991T at Premaximum , 1992 .

[10]  D. Schlegel,et al.  The peculiar type Ia SN 1991T : detonation of a white dwarf ? , 1992 .

[11]  R. Kirshner,et al.  SN 1991T: Further Evidence of the Heterogeneous Nature of Type IA Supernovae , 1992 .

[12]  Jan Peters,et al.  SN 1991bg - A type Ia supernova with a difference , 1993 .

[13]  M. Phillips,et al.  The Absolute Magnitudes of Type IA Supernovae , 1993 .

[14]  S. Woosley,et al.  The evolution of massive stars including mass loss - Presupernova models and explosion , 1993 .

[15]  Claudia Winge,et al.  SN 1992A : ultraviolet and optical studies based on HST, IUE and CTIO observations , 1993 .

[16]  T. Suzuki,et al.  A type IIb model for supernova 1993J , 1993, Nature.

[17]  R. Kirshner,et al.  A Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet Spectrum of SN 1993J , 1994 .

[18]  E. I. Robson,et al.  The Type IA Supernova 1989B in NGC 3627 (M66) , 1994 .

[19]  SN 1991T: Reflections of past glory , 1994, astro-ph/9407097.

[20]  Analysis of the Type IA Supernova SN 1994D , 1995 .

[21]  Press,et al.  Class of fast methods for processing irregularly sampled or otherwise inhomogeneous one-dimensional data. , 1995, Physical review letters.

[22]  S. Woosley,et al.  The Presupernova Evolution and Explosion of Helium Stars That Experience Mass Loss , 1995 .

[23]  D. Mcelroy.  A Catalog of Stellar Velocity Dispersions. II. 1994 Update , 1995 .

[24]  P. Nugent,et al.  NON-LOCAL THERMODYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM EFFECTS IN MODELLING OF SUPERNOVAE NEAR MAXIMUM LIGHT , 1996 .

[25]  C. Gouiffes,et al.  The properties of the peculiar type Ia supernova 1991bg — I. Analysis and discussion of two years of observations , 1996, astro-ph/9605178.

[26]  R. López,et al.  The Canaris Type IA Supernovae Archive (I) , 1996 .

[27]  M. Turatto,et al.  A study of SN 1992h in NGC 5377 , 1996 .

[28]  R. Kirshner,et al.  Time Dilation in the Light Curve of the Distant Type Ia Supernova SN 1995K , 1996 .

[29]  M. Turatto,et al.  THE TYPE IA SUPERNOVA 1994D IN NGC 4526 : THE EARLY PHASES , 1996 .

[30]  The Physics of Type Ia Supernova Light Curves. II. Opacity and Diffusion , 1996, astro-ph/9611195.

[31]  BVRI Light Curves for 29 Type Ia Supernovae , 1996, astro-ph/9609064.

[32]  A. Kinney,et al.  Template ultraviolet to near-infrared spectra of star-forming galaxies and their application to K-corrections , 1996 .

[33]  Time Dilation from Spectral Feature Age Measurements of Type Ia Supernovae , 1997, astro-ph/9707260.

[34]  A. Riess,et al.  Snapshot Distances to Type Ia Supernovae: All in “One” Night's Work , 1997, astro-ph/9804065.

[35]  Alexei V. Filippenko,et al.  Optical spectra of supernovae , 1997 .

[36]  D. Frail,et al.  Radio emission from the unusual supernova 1998bw and its association with the γ-ray burst of 25 April 1998 , 1998, Nature.

[37]  Adam G. Riess,et al.  BVRI Light Curves for 22 Type Ia Supernovae , 1998 .

[38]  M. Phillips,et al.  Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant , 1998, astro-ph/9805201.

[39]  R. Ellis,et al.  Measurements of $\Omega$ and $\Lambda$ from 42 high redshift supernovae , 1998, astro-ph/9812133.

[40]  Michael J. Kurtz,et al.  RVSAO 2.0: Digital Redshifts and Radial Velocities , 1998, astro-ph/9803252.

[41]  G. Sonneborn,et al.  Direct Analysis of Spectra of the Type Ic Supernova SN 1994I , 1999, astro-ph/9906496.

[42]  Adam G. Riess,et al.  The Luminous Type Ic Supernova 1992ar at z = 0.145 , 1999, astro-ph/9909058.

[43]  Preliminary Spectral Analysis of the Type II Supernova 1999em , 2000, astro-ph/0010614.

[44]  The Canarias Database of Nearby Type II Supernovae , 2000 .

[45]  J. Thorstensen,et al.  The Peculiar Type Ic Supernova 1997ef: Another Hypernova , 2000 .

[46]  L. Ho,et al.  Optical Spectroscopy of Supernova 1993J During Its First 2500 Days , 2000, astro-ph/0006263.

[47]  Filippo Frontera,et al.  Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal 2001, v. 555 Preprint typeset using L ATEX style emulateapj v. 14/09/00 THE METAMORPHOSIS OF SN 1998BW ‡ , 1999 .

[48]  S. Jha,et al.  Analysis of Type IIn SN 1998S: Effects of Circumstellar Interaction on Observed Spectra , 2000, astro-ph/0010615.

[49]  S.Cole,et al.  The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: spectra and redshifts , 2001, astro-ph/0106498.

[50]  E. Ofek,et al.  The Unique Type Ia Supernova 2000cx in NGC 524 , 2001, astro-ph/0107318.

[51]  Thomas Matheson,et al.  Optical Spectroscopy of Type Ib/c Supernovae , 2001, astro-ph/0101119.

[52]  Optical and infrared spectroscopy of the type IIn SN 1998S: days 3–127 , 2000, astro-ph/0011340.

[53]  The Distance to SN 1999em from the Expanding Photosphere Method , 2001, astro-ph/0105006.

[54]  Roger G. Clowes,et al.  The New Era of Wide‐Field Astronomy , 2001 .

[55]  Alexei V. Filippenko,et al.  A High Intrinsic Peculiarity Rate among Type Ia Supernovae , 2000, astro-ph/0006292.

[56]  A. S. Fruchter,et al.  Timescale Stretch Parameterization of Type Ia Supernova B-Band Light Curves , 2001, astro-ph/0104382.

[57]  Puragra Guhathakurta,et al.  The Type Ic SN 1990B in NGC 4568 , 2001 .

[58]  The template type Ia supernova 1996X , 2000, astro-ph/0009065.

[59]  D. Kasen,et al.  Direct Analysis of Spectra of Type Ib Supernovae , 1999, astro-ph/0106367.

[60]  Robert Jedicke,et al.  Pan-STARRS: A Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Array , 2002, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[61]  Eran O. Ofek,et al.  Supernova 2002ap: the first month , 2002 .

[62]  Optical and Infrared Spectroscopy of SN 1999ee and SN 1999ex , 2002, astro-ph/0203491.

[63]  Robert P. Kirshner,et al.  A Study of the Type II-Plateau Supernova 1999gi and the Distance to its Host Galaxy, NGC 3184 , 2002, astro-ph/0207601.

[64]  P. Nugent,et al.  K‐Corrections and Extinction Corrections for Type Ia Supernovae , 2002, astro-ph/0205351.

[65]  R. Chornock,et al.  The Distance to SN 1999em in NGC 1637 from the Expanding Photosphere Method , 2001, astro-ph/0109535.

[66]  Mamoru Doi,et al.  New Constraints on ΩM, ΩΛ, and w from an Independent Set of 11 High-Redshift Supernovae Observed with the Hubble Space Telescope , 2003 .

[67]  F. Pedichini,et al.  Optical and Near-Infrared Photometry of the Type Ia Supernova 2000E in NGC 6951 , 2003, astro-ph/0306391.

[68]  Caltech,et al.  SN 2002cx: The Most Peculiar Known Type Ia Supernova , 2003, astro-ph/0301428.

[69]  D. Bersier,et al.  Photometry and Spectroscopy of GRB 030329 and Its Associated Supernova 2003dh: The First Two Months , 2003, astro-ph/0307435.

[70]  Peter Garnavich,et al.  Cosmological Results from High-z Supernovae , 2003, astro-ph/0305008.

[71]  S. Jha,et al.  Optical Spectra of the Type Ia Supernova 1998aq , 2003, astro-ph/0305321.

[72]  23 High Redshift Supernovae from the IfA Deep Survey: Doubling the SN Sample at z>0.7 , 2003, astro-ph/0310843.

[73]  R. Thomas,et al.  Reading the Spectra of the Most Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 2002cx , 2004, astro-ph/0408130.

[74]  J. Walsh,et al.  Extracting clean supernova spectra - Towards a quantitative analysis of high-redshift Type Ia supernova spectra , 2004, astro-ph/0410406.

[75]  Matthew Colless,et al.  The 6dF Galaxy Survey: Samples, observational techniques and the first data release , 2004, astro-ph/0403501.

[76]  Stefano Casertano,et al.  Type Ia Supernova Discoveries at z > 1 from the Hubble Space Telescope: Evidence for Past Deceleration and Constraints on Dark Energy Evolution , 2004, astro-ph/0402512.

[77]  A. Pastorello,et al.  Supernova 2002bo: inadequacy of the single parameter description , 2004 .

[78]  M. Turatto,et al.  SN Ib 1990I: Clumping and dust in the ejecta? , 2004, astro-ph/0407145.

[79]  D. Branch,et al.  Absolute Magnitude Distributions and Light Curves of Stripped-Envelope Supernovae , 2004, astro-ph/0601136.

[80]  Adam G. Riess,et al.  Twenty-Three High-Redshift Supernovae from the Institute for Astronomy Deep Survey: Doubling the Supernova Sample at z > 0.7 , 2004 .

[81]  S. Jha,et al.  The Luminosity of SN 1999by in NGC 2841 and the Nature of “Peculiar” Type Ia Supernovae , 2001, astro-ph/0105490.

[82]  Redshift-independent distances to type Ia supernovae , 2004, astro-ph/0408097.

[83]  Spectra of high-redshift type Ia supernovae and a comparison with their low-redshift counterparts , 2005, astro-ph/0509041.

[84]  Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observations of SN 1993J and SN 1998S: CNO processing in the progenitors , 2004, astro-ph/0409439.

[85]  M. Turatto,et al.  The Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae: Evidence for Systematics? , 2005 .

[86]  et al,et al.  UBVRI Light Curves of 44 Type Ia Supernovae , 2005 .

[87]  A Definitive Measurement of Time Dilation in the Spectral Evolution of the Moderate-Redshift Type Ia Supernova 1997ex , 2005, astro-ph/0504481.

[88]  N. Homeier.  The Effect of Type Ibc Contamination in Cosmological Supernova Samples , 2004, astro-ph/0410593.

[89]  J. Neill,et al.  Gemini Spectroscopy of Supernovae from the Supernova Legacy Survey: Improving High-Redshift Supernova Selection and Classification , 2005, astro-ph/0509195.

[90]  D. Fabricant,et al.  SHELS: The Hectospec Lensing Survey , 2005, astro-ph/0510351.

[91]  Spectroscopy of the type Ia supernova SN 2002er: Days-11 to+215 , 2005, astro-ph/0503339.

[92]  The Unique Type Ib Supernova 2005bf: A WN Star Explosion Model for Peculiar Light Curves and Spectra , 2005, astro-ph/0509557.

[93]  W. M. Wood-Vasey,et al.  Using Line Profiles to Test the Fraternity of Type Ia Supernovae at High and Low Redshifts , 2005, astro-ph/0510089.

[94]  G. C. Anupama,et al.  Type Ia supernova SN 2003du: optical observations , 2005 .

[95]  P. Berlind,et al.  Early-Time Photometry and Spectroscopy of the Fast Evolving SN 2006aj Associated with GRB 060218 , 2006 .

[96]  Spectral diversity of Type Ia Supernovae , 2006, astro-ph/0605147.

[97]  Peter E. Nugent,et al.  The type Ia supernova SNLS-03D3bb from a super-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf star , 2006, Nature.

[98]  Supernova 2006bk in MCG +6-33-20 , 2006 .

[99]  B. Leibundgut,et al.  Hydrogen and helium traces in type Ib-c supernovae , 2006 .

[100]  N. Kuznetsova,et al.  A Probabilistic Approach to Classifying Supernovae Using Photometric Information , 2006, astro-ph/0609637.

[101]  Hydrogen in Type Ic Supernovae , 2006, astro-ph/0604047.

[102]  A. Pastorello,et al.  SN 2004aw: confirming diversity of Type Ic supernovae , 2006 .

[103]  S. Jha,et al.  Late-Time Spectroscopy of SN 2002cx: The Prototype of a New Subclass of Type Ia Supernovae , 2006, astro-ph/0602250.

[104]  Jason D. Eastman,et al.  The Peculiar SN 2005hk: Do Some Type Ia Supernovae Explode as Deflagrations?* ** *** , 2007 .

[105]  M. Troxel,et al.  Direct Analysis of Spectra of the Unusual Type Ib Supernova 2005bf , 2007, astro-ph/0701198.

[106]  N. B. Suntzeff,et al.  The ESSENCE Supernova Survey: Survey Optimization, Observations, and Supernova Photometry , 2007, astro-ph/0701043.

[107]  Early Ultraviolet, Optical, and X-Ray Observations of the Type IIP SN 2005cs in M51 with Swift , 2006, astro-ph/0612541.

[108]  A. Pastorello,et al.  SN 2003du: 480 days in the life of a normal type Ia supernova , 2007, 0704.1244.

[109]  N. B. Suntzeff,et al.  Observational Constraints on the Nature of Dark Energy: First Cosmological Results from the ESSENCE Supernova Survey , 2007, astro-ph/0701041.

[110]  A Model-independent Photometric Redshift Estimator for Type Ia Supernovae , 2006, astro-ph/0609639.

[111]  R. Rosenfeld.  Nature , 2009, Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

[112]  October I.  Physical Review Letters , 2022 .