PTF

PTF10ops - a subluminous, normal-width lightcurve Type Ia supernova in the middle of nowhere

PTF10ops is a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia), whose lightcurve and spectral properties place it outside the current SN Ia subtype classifications. Its spectra display the characteristic lines of subluminous SNe Ia, but it has a normal-width lightcurve with a long rise-time, typical of normal luminosity SNe Ia. The early-time optical spectra of PTF10ops were modelled using a spectral fitting code and found to have all the lines typically seen in subluminous SNe Ia, without the need to invoke more uncommon elements.

Maguire et al. 2011, MNRAS, accepted

The Subluminous and Peculiar Type Ia Supernova PTF09dav

PTF09dav is a peculiar subluminous type Ia supernova (SN) discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). Spectroscopically, it appears superficially similar to the class of subluminous SN1991bg-like SNe, but it has several unusual features which make it stand out from this population. Its peak luminosity is fainter than any previously discovered SN1991bg-like SN Ia (M_B -15.5), but without the unusually red optical colors expected if the faint luminosity were due to extinction. The photospheric optical spectra have very unusual strong
Sullivan et al. 2011, ApJ, accepted

PTF10iya: A short-lived, luminous flare from the nuclear region of a star-forming galaxy

We present the discovery and characterisation of PTF10iya, a short-lived (dt ~ 10 d, with an optical decay rate of ~ 0.3 mag per d), luminous (M_g ~ -21 mag) transient source found by the Palomar Transient Factory. The ultraviolet/optical spectral energy distribution is reasonably well fit by a blackbody with T ~ 1-2 x 10^4 K and peak bolometric luminosity L_BB ~ 10^44 -10^45 erg per s (depending on the details of the extinction correction). A comparable amount of energy is radiated in the X-ray band that appears to
Cenko et al. 2011, MNRAS, submitted

The Extreme Hosts of Extreme Supernovae

We use GALEX ultraviolet (UV) and optical integrated photometry of the hosts of seventeen luminous supernovae (LSNe, having peak M_V < -21) and compare them to a sample of 26,000 galaxies from a cross-match between the SDSS DR4 spectral catalog and GALEX interim release 1.1. We place the LSNe hosts on the galaxy NUV-r versus M_r color magnitude diagram (CMD) with the larger sample to illustrate how extreme they are. The LSN hosts appear to favor low-density regions of the galaxy CMD falling on the blue edge of the blue cloud toward the low luminosity
Neill, J. D. et al. 2010, ApJ, accepted

Core-Collapse Supernovae from the Palomar Transient Factory: Indications for a Different Population in Dwarf Galaxies

We use the first compilation of 72 core-collapse supernovae (SNe) from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) to study their observed subtype distribution in dwarf galaxies compared to giant galaxies. Our sample is the largest single-survey, untargeted, spectroscopically classified, homogeneous collection of core-collapse events ever assembled, spanning a wide host-galaxy luminosity range (down to Mr ≈ –14 mag) and including a substantial fraction (>20%) of dwarf (Mr
Arcavi et al 2010 ApJ 721 777

Mysterious transients unmasked as the bright blue death throes of massive stars

Movies of the heavens, produced by modern synoptic imaging surveys, are revolutionizing the field of cosmic explosions in astronomy. Recent discoveries suggest entirely new pathways for the deaths of massive stars, and the observational case for pair-instability supernovae has now been made. Other, unexplained optical transient phenomena have engendered a wide range of models as typified by the long duration and spectroscopically peculiar event SCP06F6 (theories range from a Texas sized asteroid impacting a white dwarf to the
Quimby et al. 2009, Submitted to Nature

The Palomar Transient Factory: System Overview, Performance and First Results

The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is a fully-automated, wide-field survey aimed at a systematic exploration of the optical transient sky. The transient survey is performed using a new 8.1 square degree camera installed on the 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory; colors and light curves for detected transients are obtained with the automated Palomar 60-inch telescope. PTF uses eighty percent of the 1.2-m and fifty percent of the 1.5-m telescope time. With an exposure of 60-s the survey reaches a depth of
Law et al., PASP, accepted

Exploring the Optical Transient Sky with the Palomar Transient Factory

The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is a wide-field experiment designed to investigate the optical transient and variable sky on time scales from minutes to years. PTF uses the CFH12k mosaic camera, with a field of view of 7.9 deg^2 and a plate scale of 1 asec/pixel, mounted on the the Palomar Observatory 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope. The PTF operation strategy is devised to probe the existing gaps in the transient phase space and to search for theoretically predicted, but not yet detected, phenomena, such as fallback supernovae,
Rau et al. PASP, accepted

PTF Mdwarfs

Discipline: 
Science
Country: 
USA
We propose a PTF project to detect eclipsing M-dwarf binaries and M-dwarf planetary transits in R-band PTF data. No modifications at all are needed to the PTF observing strategy. The survey will target cool stars (initially within the Dynamic Cadence (DyC) fields, but also the 5-day cadence eventually) searching for stellar eclipses and planetary transits.
Tags: 
extrasolar planets
exoplanets
PTF
PTF followup
M dwarfs
eclipsing binaries