Collapsars as Sites of r-process Nucleosynthesis: Systematic Photometric Near-infrared Follow-up of Type Ic-BL Supernovae

Anand, S ORCID: 0000-0003-3768-7515, Barnes, J ORCID: 0000-0003-3340-4784, Yang, S, Kasliwal, MM ORCID: 0000-0002-5619-4938, Coughlin, MW ORCID: 0000-0002-8262-2924, Sollerman, J ORCID: 0000-0003-1546-6615, De, K ORCID: 0000-0002-0786-7307, Fremling, C ORCID: 0000-0002-4223-103X, Corsi, A ORCID: 0000-0001-8104-3536, Ho, AYQ ORCID: 0000-0002-9017-3567, Balasubramanian, A ORCID: 0000-0003-0477-7645, Omand, C ORCID: 0000-0002-9646-8710, Srinivasaragavan, GP, Cenko, SB ORCID: 0000-0003-1673-970X, Ahumada, T ORCID: 0000-0002-2184-6430, Andreoni, I ORCID: 0000-0002-8977-1498, Dahiwale, A, Das, KK ORCID: 0000-0001-8372-997X, Jencson, J ORCID: 0000-0001-5754-4007, Karambelkar, V ORCID: 0000-0003-2758-159X et al (2024) Collapsars as Sites of r-process Nucleosynthesis: Systematic Photometric Near-infrared Follow-up of Type Ic-BL Supernovae. The Astrophysical Journal, 962 (1). p. 68. ISSN 1538-4357

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Abstract

One of the open questions following the discovery of GW170817 is whether neutron star (NS) mergers are the only astrophysical sites capable of producing r-process elements. Simulations have shown that 0.01–0.1 M⊙ of r-process material could be generated in the outflows originating from the accretion disk surrounding the rapidly rotating black hole that forms as a remnant to both NS mergers and collapsing massive stars associated with long-duration gamma-ray bursts (collapsars). The hallmark signature of r-process nucleosynthesis in the binary NS merger GW170817 was its long-lasting near-infrared (NIR) emission, thus motivating a systematic photometric study of the light curves of broad-lined stripped-envelope (Ic-BL) supernovae (SNe) associated with collapsars. We present the first systematic study of 25 SNe Ic-BL—including 18 observed with the Zwicky Transient Facility and 7 from the literature—in the optical/NIR bands to determine what quantity of r-process material, if any, is synthesized in these explosions. Using semi-analytic models designed to account for r-process production in SNe Ic-BL, we perform light curve fitting to derive constraints on the r-process mass for these SNe. We also perform independent light curve fits to models without the r-process. We find that the r-process-free models are a better fit to the light curves of the objects in our sample. Thus, we find no compelling evidence of r-process enrichment in any of our objects. Further high-cadence infrared photometric studies and nebular spectroscopic analysis would be sensitive to smaller quantities of r-process ejecta mass or indicate whether all collapsars are completely devoid of r-process nucleosynthesis.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences; 0202 Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics; 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural); Astronomy & Astrophysics
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions:	Astrophysics Research Institute
Publisher:	American Astronomical Society
Date of acceptance:	31 October 2023
Date of first compliant Open Access:	16 February 2024
Date Deposited:	16 Feb 2024 15:15
Last Modified:	04 Jul 2025 14:00
DOI or ID number:	10.3847/1538-4357/ad11df
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/22640

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