The Type IIB Supernova 1993J

Abstract

A non-LTE study of the Type IIb supernova 1993J in the galaxy M81 taking into account nonthermal ionization and line blocking effects is carried out. Hydrodynamical models and theoretical spectra clearly show that nonthermal ionization and excitation dominate after the second maximum, at day ∼ 30, and play a decisive role in reproducing both the smooth tail of the light curve and the emergence of helium lines in the spectrum, similar to those observed. Based on our model of supernova 1993J, we predict that the light curves of Type Ib supernovae should be subject to nonthermal ionization and excitation at earlier times than even those for supernova 1993J. In our model, the outburst of supernova 1993J is interpreted as the explosion of a ∼ 4 M⊙ red supergiant, which underwent core collapse and left a neutron star in a binary system. The progenitor is supposed to have a helium core mass of ∼ 3 M⊙, corresponding to a ∼ 13 M⊙ main-sequence star. Supernova 1993J adds evidence to the scenario that Type Ib supernovae originate from moderately massive stars on the main sequence that have lost their hydrogen envelopes in interacting binary systems.