Abstract
SUPERNOVA 1993 J in the nearby galaxy M81 is one of the closest― and hence brightest―supernovae to be witnessed this century. The early spectrum of SN1993J showed1―3 the characteristic hydrogen signature of type II supernovae, but its subsequent evolution is atypical for this class of supernova. Here we present optical and infrared spectra of SN1993J up to 43 days after outburst, which reveal the onset of the helium absorption and emission features more commonly associated with hydrogen-free type Ib supernovae. Corresponding model spectra show that the progenitor star must have possessed an unusually thin (for type II supernovae) hydro-gen-rich envelope overlying a helium-rich mantle. Moreover, the supernova ejecta must have remained compositionally stratified, with little transport of the hydrogen-rich material down into the underlying helium layer, or mixing of heavier elements (such as radioactive 56Ni) outwards. SN1993J therefore represents a transi-tion object between hydrogen-dominated type II supernovae, and hydrogen-free, helium-dominated type Ib supernovae.
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Swartz, D., Clocchiattit, A., Benjamin, R. et al. Supernova 1993J as a spectroscopic link between type II and type Ib supernovae. Nature 365, 232–234 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/365232a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/365232a0
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