ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf
In an effort to search for faint sources of emission over arbitrary timescales, we present a novel method for analyzing forced photometry light curves in difference imaging from optical surveys. Our method “ATLAS Clean,” or ATClean, utilizes the reported fluxes, uncertainties, and fits to the point-...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad973d |
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| author | S. Rest A. Rest C. D. Kilpatrick J. E. Jencson S. von Coelln L. Strolger S. Smartt J. P. Anderson A. Clocchiatti D. A. Coulter L. Denneau S. Gomez A. Heinze R. Ridden-Harper K. W. Smith B. Stalder J. L. Tonry Q. Wang Y. Zenati |
| author_facet | S. Rest A. Rest C. D. Kilpatrick J. E. Jencson S. von Coelln L. Strolger S. Smartt J. P. Anderson A. Clocchiatti D. A. Coulter L. Denneau S. Gomez A. Heinze R. Ridden-Harper K. W. Smith B. Stalder J. L. Tonry Q. Wang Y. Zenati |
| author_sort | S. Rest |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In an effort to search for faint sources of emission over arbitrary timescales, we present a novel method for analyzing forced photometry light curves in difference imaging from optical surveys. Our method “ATLAS Clean,” or ATClean, utilizes the reported fluxes, uncertainties, and fits to the point-spread function (PSF) from difference images to quantify the statistical significance of individual measurements. We apply this method to control light curves across the image to determine whether any source of flux is present in the data for a range of specific timescales. From ATLAS o -band imaging at the site of the Type II supernova (SN) 2023ixf in M101 from 2015–2023, we show that this method accurately reproduces the 3 σ flux limits produced from other, more computationally expensive methods. We derive limits for emission on timescales of 5 days and 80–300 days at the site of SN 2023ixf, which are 19.8 and 21.3 mag, respectively. The latter limits rule out variability for unextinguished red supergiants with initial masses >22 M _⊙ , comparable to the most luminous predictions for the SN 2023ixf progenitor system. We also compare our limits to short-timescale outbursts, similar to those expected for Type IIn SN progenitor stars or the Type II SN 2020tlf, and rule out outburst ejecta masses of >0.021 M _⊙ , much lower than the inferred mass of circumstellar matter around SN 2023ixf in the literature. In the future, these methods can be applied to any forced photometry on difference imaging from other surveys, such as Rubin optical imaging. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-33531d691bd84cfe997c8a1f72af416c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-33531d691bd84cfe997c8a1f72af416c2025-01-21T10:39:09ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01979211410.3847/1538-4357/ad973dATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixfS. Rest0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3825-0553A. Rest1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4410-5387C. D. Kilpatrick2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5740-7747J. E. Jencson3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5754-4007S. von Coelln4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8436-5431L. Strolger5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7756-4440S. Smartt6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8229-1731J. P. Anderson7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0227-3451A. Clocchiatti8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3068-4258D. A. Coulter9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4263-2228L. Denneau10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7034-148XS. Gomez11https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6395-6702A. Heinze12https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3313-4921R. Ridden-Harper13https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1724-2885K. W. Smith14https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9535-3199B. Stalder15https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0973-4900J. L. Tonry16https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2858-9657Q. Wang17https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5233-6989Y. Zenati18https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0632-8897Department of Computer Science, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; srest2021@gmail.comDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Space Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USACenter for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USAIPAC, California Institute of Technology , 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University , 2076 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Space Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAAstrophysics Sub-department, Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH, UK; Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast , Belfast, BT7 1NN, UKEuropean Southern Observatory , Alonso de Córdova 3107, Casilla 19, Santiago, 2, Chile; Millennium Institute of Astrophysics MAS , Nuncio Monseñor Sótero Sanz 100, Of. 104, Providencia, Santiago, ChileMillennium Institute of Astrophysics MAS , Nuncio Monseñor Sótero Sanz 100, Of. 104, Providencia, Santiago, Chile; Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile , Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago, ChileSpace Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USASpace Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USADiRAC Institute and the Department of Astronomy, University of Washington , 3910 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USASchool of Physical and Chemical Sciences–Te Kura Matū, University of Canterbury , Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New ZealandAstrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast , Belfast, BT7 1NN, UKVera C. Rubin Observatory Project Office , 950 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 95719, USAInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii , 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Physics and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Space Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, MD 21218, USAIn an effort to search for faint sources of emission over arbitrary timescales, we present a novel method for analyzing forced photometry light curves in difference imaging from optical surveys. Our method “ATLAS Clean,” or ATClean, utilizes the reported fluxes, uncertainties, and fits to the point-spread function (PSF) from difference images to quantify the statistical significance of individual measurements. We apply this method to control light curves across the image to determine whether any source of flux is present in the data for a range of specific timescales. From ATLAS o -band imaging at the site of the Type II supernova (SN) 2023ixf in M101 from 2015–2023, we show that this method accurately reproduces the 3 σ flux limits produced from other, more computationally expensive methods. We derive limits for emission on timescales of 5 days and 80–300 days at the site of SN 2023ixf, which are 19.8 and 21.3 mag, respectively. The latter limits rule out variability for unextinguished red supergiants with initial masses >22 M _⊙ , comparable to the most luminous predictions for the SN 2023ixf progenitor system. We also compare our limits to short-timescale outbursts, similar to those expected for Type IIn SN progenitor stars or the Type II SN 2020tlf, and rule out outburst ejecta masses of >0.021 M _⊙ , much lower than the inferred mass of circumstellar matter around SN 2023ixf in the literature. In the future, these methods can be applied to any forced photometry on difference imaging from other surveys, such as Rubin optical imaging.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad973dType II supernovaeCore-collapse supernovaeCircumstellar matterLight curves |
| spellingShingle | S. Rest A. Rest C. D. Kilpatrick J. E. Jencson S. von Coelln L. Strolger S. Smartt J. P. Anderson A. Clocchiatti D. A. Coulter L. Denneau S. Gomez A. Heinze R. Ridden-Harper K. W. Smith B. Stalder J. L. Tonry Q. Wang Y. Zenati ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf The Astrophysical Journal Type II supernovae Core-collapse supernovae Circumstellar matter Light curves |
| title | ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf |
| title_full | ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf |
| title_fullStr | ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf |
| title_full_unstemmed | ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf |
| title_short | ATClean: A Novel Method for Detecting Low-luminosity Transients and Application to Pre-explosion Counterparts from SN 2023ixf |
| title_sort | atclean a novel method for detecting low luminosity transients and application to pre explosion counterparts from sn 2023ixf |
| topic | Type II supernovae Core-collapse supernovae Circumstellar matter Light curves |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad973d |
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