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Comparative Analysis Of Sn 2012dn Optical Spectra:Days −14 To +114, J. T. Parrent, D. A. Howell, R. A. Fesen, S. Parker

Dartmouth Scholarship

SN 2012dn is a super-Chandrasekhar mass candidate in a purportedly normal spiral (SAcd) galaxy, and poses a challenge for theories of type Ia supernova diversity. Here we utilize the fast and highly parametrized spectrum synthesis tool, SYNAPPS, to estimate relative expansion velocities of species inferred from optical spectra obtained with six facilities. As with previous studies of normal SN Ia, we find that both unburned carbon and intermediate-mass elements are spatially coincident within the ejecta near and below 14 000 km s⁻¹. Although the upper limit on SN 2012dn's peak luminosity is comparable to some of the most …