Type W and Type 15bn Subgroups of Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernovae: Premaximum Diversity, Postmaximum Homogeneity?

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we analyze the postmaximum spectra of a sample of 27 Type I superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) in order to search for physical differences between the so-called Type W and Type 15bn subtypes. This paper is a continuation of Könyves-Tóth & Vinkó and Könyves-Tóth. In the former, it was revealed that not all SLSNe-I show the W-shaped absorption feature between 4000 and 5000 Å in the premaximum spectra, and two new SLSN subgroups were disclosed. In the latter, physical differences in the premaximum phases were studied. For completeness, postmaximum data are analyzed in this paper. It is concluded that in terms of photospheric temperature and velocity, Type W and Type 15bn SLSNe-I decrease to a similar value by the postmaximum phases, and their pseudo-nebular spectra are nearly uniform. The relation between the photometric and spectroscopic phases (Φ) between the two subgroups was examined, and it was found that the Φ of Type W SLSNe-I increases monotonically with time, while Type 15bn objects tend to show larger Φ before peak brightness, which evolves slowly. Pseudo-equivalent width (pEW) calculations show that the pEWs of the wavelength range between 4166 and 5266 Å evolve differently in the cases of the two subtypes, while the other parts of the spectra seem to evolve similarly. It was found that the host galaxies of the studied objects do not differ significantly in their star formation rate, morphology, stellar mass, and absolute brightness. The main difference behind the bimodality of Type W and Type 15bn SLSNe-I therefore is in their premaximum evolution.