SN 2018hti: a nearby superluminous supernova discovered in a metal-poor galaxy
Wenbin Lin, X F Wang, Wenxiong Li, Jujia Zhang, J. Mo, H. Sai, Xue Zhang, A. V. Filippenko, WeiKang Zheng, Thomas G. Brink, E. Baron, James M. DerKacy, Sh. A. Ehgamberdiev, D. O. Mirzaqulov, Xue Li, Jiayuan Zhang, Shengyu Yan, Gaobo Xi, Yen Hsiao, Taotian Zhang, Ling‐Jun Wang, L D Liu, Danfeng Xiang, Chengyuan Wu, L. Rui, Zhihao Chen
Abstract
ABSTRACT SN 2018hti is a Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN I) with an absolute g-band magnitude of −22.2 at maximum brightness, discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System in a metal-poor galaxy at a redshift of 0.0612. We present extensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of this supernova, covering the phases from ∼−35 d to more than +340 d from the r-band maximum. Combining our BVgri-band photometry with Swift UVOT optical/ultraviolet photometry, we calculated the peak luminosity as ∼3.5 × 1044 erg s−1. Modelling the observed light curve reveals that the luminosity evolution of SN 2018hti can be produced by an ejecta mass of 5.8 M⊙ and a magnetar with a magnetic field of B = 1.8 × 1013 G having an initial spin period of P0 = 1.8 ms. Based on such a magnetar-powered scenario and a larger sample, a correlation between the spin of the magnetar and the kinetic energy of the ejecta can be inferred for most SLSNe I, suggesting a self-consistent scenario. Like for other SLSNe I, the host galaxy of SN 2018hti is found to be relatively faint (Mg = −17.75 mag) and of low metallicity (Z = 0.3 Z⊙), with a star formation rate of 0.3 M⊙ yr−1. According to simulation results of single-star evolution, SN 2018hti could originate from a massive, metal-poor star with a zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) mass of 25–40 M⊙, or from a less massive rotating star with MZAMS ≈ 16–25 M⊙. For the case of a binary system, its progenitor could also be a star with $M_\mathrm{ZAMS} \gtrsim 25\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$.