Abstract:
We present early-phase panchromatic photometric and spectroscopic coverage spanning the far-ultraviolet to near infrared regime of the nearest hydrogen-rich core-collapse supernova (SN) in the last 25 yr, SN 2023ixf. We
observe early “flash” features in the optical spectra due to confined dense circumstellar material (CSM). We
observe high-ionization absorption lines (Fe II, Mg II) in the ultraviolet spectra from very early on. We also observe
a multipeaked emission profile of Hα in the spectrum beginning at ∼16 days, which indicates ongoing interaction
of the SN ejecta with a preexisting shell-shaped CSM having an inner radius of ∼75 au and an outer radius of
∼140 au. The shell-shaped CSM is likely a result of enhanced mass loss ∼35–65 yr before the explosion assuming
a standard red supergiant wind. The UV spectra are dominated by multiple highly ionized narrow absorption and
broad emission features from elements such as C, N, O, Si, Fe, and Ni. Based on early light-curve models of Type
II SNe, we infer that the nearby dense CSM confined to 7 ± 3 × 1014 cm (∼45 au) is a result of enhanced mass loss
(10−3.0±0.5 Me yr−1
) two decades before the explosion.
