Evidence for Late-stage Eruptive Mass Loss in the Progenitor to SN2018gep, a Broad-lined Ic Supernova: Pre-explosion Emission and a Rapidly Rising Luminous Transient

Abstract

We present detailed observations of ZTF18abukavn (SN2018gep), discovered in high-cadence data from the Zwicky Transient Facility as a rapidly rising (1.4 ± 0.1 mag hr −1 ) and luminous ( mag) transient. It is spectroscopically classified as a broad-lined stripped-envelope supernova (Ic-BL SN). The high peak luminosity ( ), the short rise time ( in g band), and the blue colors at peak ( ) all resemble the high-redshift Ic-BL iPTF16asu, as well as several other unclassified fast transients. The early discovery of SN2018gep (within an hour of shock breakout) enabled an intensive spectroscopic campaign, including the highest-temperature ( ) spectra of a stripped-envelope SN. A retrospective search revealed luminous ( mag) emission in the days to weeks before explosion, the first definitive detection of precursor emission for a Ic-BL. We find a limit on the isotropic gamma-ray energy release , a limit on X-ray emission , and a limit on radio emission . Taken together, we find that the early ( ) data are best explained by shock breakout in a massive shell of dense circumstellar material (0.02 ) at large radii ( ) that was ejected in eruptive pre-explosion mass-loss episodes. The late-time ( ) light curve requires an additional energy source, which could be the radioactive decay of Ni-56.