SN 2021foa: the bridge between SN IIn and Ibn

Abstract

We present the long-term photometric and spectroscopic analysis of a transitioning SN IIn/Ibn from −10.8 d to 150.7 d post V -band maximum. SN 2021foa shows prominent He I lines comparable in strength to the H α line around peak, placing SN 2021foa between the SN IIn and SN Ibn populations. The spectral comparison shows that it resembles the SN IIn population at pre-maximum, becomes intermediate between SNe IIn/Ibn, and at post-maximum matches with SN IIn 1996al. The photometric evolution shows a precursor at −50 d and a light curve shoulder around 17 d. The peak luminosity and colour evolution of SN 2021foa are consistent with most SNe IIn and Ibn in our comparison sample. SN 2021foa shows the unique case of an SN IIn where the narrow P-Cygni in H α becomes prominent at 7.2 d. The H α profile consists of a narrow (500–1200 km s−1) component, intermediate width (3000–8000 km s−1) and broad component in absorption. Temporal evolution of the H α profile favours a disc-like CSM geometry. Hydrodynamical modelling of the light curve well reproduces a two-component CSM structure with different densities(ρ ∝ r −2–ρ ∝ r −5), mass-lossrates(10−3–10−1 M yr−1) assuming a wind velocity of 1000 km s−1 and having a CSM mass of 0.18 M. The overall evolution indicates that SN 2021foa most likely originated from an LBV star transitioning to a WR star with the mass-loss rate increasing in the period from 5 to 0.5 yr before the explosion or it could be due to a binary interaction.