Late-time JWST spectra of SN 2023xgo detect cool silicate or carbonaceous dust masses of order 0.01-0.03 solar masses plus narrow He I emission indicating ongoing circumstellar interaction at +377 days.
SPIRITS: Uncovering Unusual Infrared Transients With Spitzer
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abstract
We present an ongoing, systematic search for extragalactic infrared transients, dubbed SPIRITS --- SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey. In the first year, using Spitzer/IRAC, we searched 190 nearby galaxies with cadence baselines of one month and six months. We discovered over 1958 variables and 43 transients. Here, we describe the survey design and highlight 14 unusual infrared transients with no optical counterparts to deep limits, which we refer to as SPRITEs (eSPecially Red Intermediate Luminosity Transient Events). SPRITEs are in the infrared luminosity gap between novae and supernovae, with [4.5] absolute magnitudes between -11 and -14 (Vega-mag) and [3.6]-[4.5] colors between 0.3 mag and 1.6 mag. The photometric evolution of SPRITEs is diverse, ranging from < 0.1 mag/yr to > 7 mag/yr. SPRITEs occur in star-forming galaxies. We present an in-depth study of one of them, SPIRITS 14ajc in Messier 83, which shows shock-excited molecular hydrogen emission. This shock may have been triggered by the dynamic decay of a non-hierarchical system of massive stars that led to either the formation of a binary or a proto-stellar merger.
years
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UNVERDICTED 2representative citing papers
A synthesis of observational data on red novae as stellar merger events, including outburst properties, progenitor diversity, and long-term remnants.
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JWST Reveals Large Reservoirs of Dust and Ongoing Circumstellar Interaction in SN Ibn/Icn 2023xgo over a Year Post-Explosion
Late-time JWST spectra of SN 2023xgo detect cool silicate or carbonaceous dust masses of order 0.01-0.03 solar masses plus narrow He I emission indicating ongoing circumstellar interaction at +377 days.
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Red novae, their progenitors, and remnants
A synthesis of observational data on red novae as stellar merger events, including outburst properties, progenitor diversity, and long-term remnants.