Type-Ia Supernova Rates to Redshift 2.4 from CLASH: The Cluster Lensing And Supernova Survey with Hubble

March 2014 • 2014ApJ...783...28G

Authors • Graur, O. • Rodney, S. A. • Maoz, D. • Riess, A. G. • Jha, S. W. • Postman, M. • Dahlen, T. • Holoien, T. W. -S. • McCully, C. • Patel, B. • Strolger, L. -G. • Benítez, N. • Coe, D. • Jouvel, S. • Medezinski, E. • Molino, A. • Nonino, M. • Bradley, L. • Koekemoer, A. • Balestra, I. • Cenko, S. B. • Clubb, K. I. • Dickinson, M. E. • Filippenko, A. V. • Frederiksen, T. F. • Garnavich, P. • Hjorth, J. • Jones, D. O. • Leibundgut, B. • Matheson, T. • Mobasher, B. • Rosati, P. • Silverman, J. M. • U, V. • Jedruszczuk, K. • Li, C. • Lin, K. • Mirmelstein, M. • Neustadt, J. • Ovadia, A. • Rogers, E. H.

Abstract • We present the supernova (SN) sample and Type-Ia SN (SN Ia) rates from the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). Using the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have imaged 25 galaxy-cluster fields and parallel fields of non-cluster galaxies. We report a sample of 27 SNe discovered in the parallel fields. Of these SNe, ~13 are classified as SN Ia candidates, including four SN Ia candidates at redshifts z > 1.2. We measure volumetric SN Ia rates to redshift 1.8 and add the first upper limit on the SN Ia rate in the range 1.8 < z < 2.4. The results are consistent with the rates measured by the HST/GOODS and Subaru Deep Field SN surveys. We model these results together with previous measurements at z < 1 from the literature. The best-fitting SN Ia delay-time distribution (DTD; the distribution of times that elapse between a short burst of star formation and subsequent SN Ia explosions) is a power law with an index of -1.00^{+0.06(0.09)}_{-0.06(0.10)}\ (statistical) ^{+0.12}_{-0.08}\ (systematic), where the statistical uncertainty is a result of the 68% and 95% (in parentheses) statistical uncertainties reported for the various SN Ia rates (from this work and from the literature), and the systematic uncertainty reflects the range of possible cosmic star-formation histories. We also test DTD models produced by an assortment of published binary population synthesis (BPS) simulations. The shapes of all BPS double-degenerate DTDs are consistent with the volumetric SN Ia measurements, when the DTD models are scaled up by factors of 3-9. In contrast, all BPS single-degenerate DTDs are ruled out by the measurements at >99% significance level.

Links

View on ADS

IPAC Authors
(alphabetical)

Vivian U

Associate Scientist