The late-time rebrightening of type Ia SN 2005gj in the mid-infrared

Abstract

A growing number of observations reveal a subset of Type Ia supernovae undergoing circumstellar interaction (SNe Ia-CSM). We present unpublished archival Spitzer Space Telescope data on SNe Ia-CSM 2002ic and 2005gj obtained >1300 and 500 days post-discovery, respectively. Both SNe show evidence for late-time mid-infrared (mid-IR) emission from warm dust. The dust parameters are most consistent with a preexisting dust shell that lies beyond the forward-shock radius, most likely radiatively heated by optical and X-ray emission continuously generated by late-time CSM interaction. In the case of SN 2005gj, the mid-IR luminosity more than doubles after 1 yr post-discovery. While we are not aware of any late-time optical-wavelength observations at these epochs, we attribute this rebrightening to renewed shock interaction with a dense circumstellar shell. © 2013. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.