Kavli Affiliate: Subo Dong
| First 5 Authors: Thomas W. -S. Holoien, Jack M. M. Neustadt, Patrick J. Vallely, Katie Auchettl, Jason T. Hinkle
| Summary:
We present observations of the extremely luminous but ambiguous nuclear
transient (ANT) ASASSN-17jz, spanning roughly 1200 days of the object’s
evolution. ASASSN-17jz was discovered by the All-Sky Automated Survey for
Supernovae (ASAS-SN) in the galaxy SDSS J171955.84+414049.4 on UT 2017 July 27.
The transient peaked at an absolute $B$-band magnitude of $M_{B,{rm
peak}}=-22.81$, corresponding to a bolometric luminosity of $L_{rm
bol,peak}=8.3times10^{44}$ ergs s$^{-1}$, and exhibited late-time ultraviolet
emission with a total emitted energy of $E_{rm
tot}=(1.36pm0.08)times10^{52}$ ergs. This late-time light is accompanied by
increasing X-ray emission that becomes softer as it brightens. ASASSN-17jz
exhibited a large number of spectral emission lines most commonly seen in
active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with little evidence of evolution, except for the
Balmer lines, which became fainter and broader over time. We consider various
physical scenarios for the origin of the transient, including those involving
supernovae (SNe), tidal disruption event (TDEs), AGN outbursts, and ANTs. We
find that the most likely explanation is that ASASSN-17jz was an SN IIn
occurring in or near the disk of an existing AGN, and that the late-time
emission is caused by the AGN transitioning to a more active state.
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