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D. Pooley, W.H.G. Lewin, D.W. Fox, J.M. Miller (MIT), C.K. Lacey (Univ. South Carolina), S.D. Van Dyk (IPAC/Caltech), K.W. Weiler (NRL), R.A. Sramek, A.V. Filippenko (NRAO), D.C. Leonard (UC Berkeley), S. Immler (UMass Amherst), R.A. Chevalier (Univ. Virgina), A.C. Fabian (IoA), C. Fransson (Stockholm Observatory), K. Nomoto (Univ. Tokyo)
Observations of the Type II-P (plateau) Supernova (SN) 1999em and Type IIn (narrow emission line) SN 1998S have enabled estimation of the profile of the SN ejecta, the structure of the circumstellar medium (CSM) established by the pre-SN stellar wind, and the nature of the shock interaction. SN 1999em is the first and only Type II-P detected at both X-ray and radio wavelengths. It is the least radio luminous and one of the least X-ray luminous SN ever detected (except for the unusual and very close SN 1987A). The Chandra X-ray data indicate non-radiative interaction of SN ejecta with a power-law density profile (\rho \propto r-n with n~7) with a pre-SN wind with a low mass loss rate of ~2 \times 10-6 M\odot for a wind velocity of 10 km sec-1, in close agreement with radio mass-loss rate estimates. The Chandra data show an unexpected, temporary rise in the 0.4--2.0 keV X-ray flux at ~100 days after explosion. SN 1998S appears reasonably typical of Type IIn SNe in that it is developing very slowly. At an age of >3 years, it is still bright in X-rays and is increasing in flux density at cm radio wavelengths. Spectral fits to the Chandra data indicate that a possible overabundance of Fe with respect to solar values is needed to account for the observed Fe line near 6.8 keV. If the X-ray emission is from the reverse shock wave region, the SN density profile must be moderately flat at a velocity ~104 km sec-1, the shock front is non-radiative at the time of the observations, and the mass-loss rate is 1--2\times 10-4 M\odot for a pre-SN wind velocity of 10 km sec-1. This result is also supported by modeling of the radio emission which implies that SN 1998S is surrounded by a clumpy or filamentary CSM established by a high mass-loss rate, ~2 \times 10-4 M\odot, from the pre-SN star.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: dave@mit.edu