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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The Astrophysical Journal

Coupled Shock Cooling and Radioactive Heating in SN 2024aecx: An Extended Envelope and Rapid Optical Decline

  • Na Wei1,2
  • Yu-Hao Zhang1,2
  • Liang-Duan Liu1,2
  • Guang-Lei Wu1,2
  • Jing-Yao Li1,2
  • Yun-Wei Yu1,2
  • Ning-Chen Sun3,4,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Central China Normal University
  2. 2Education Research and Application Cente
  3. 3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  4. 4Chinese Academy of Sciences
  5. 5Beijing Normal University
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Abstract

SN 2024aecx is a nearby, rapidly evolving stripped-envelope supernova with a prominent double-peaked ultraviolet–optical light curve. We model its multiband evolution with an extended version of TransFit , in which the early shock-cooling emission and the subsequent radioactive heating are treated within a single time-dependent radiative diffusion calculation. To describe the stratified ejecta required by the early shock-cooling emission, we adopt compact inner ejecta connected to a dilute extended outer envelope and fit the outer density slope directly from the early light curve. The model reproduces the short-lived first peak, the rise to the radioactive main peak, and the overall multiband evolution. We infer an effective outer radius of R 0 = 264.1 4 − 87.50 + 139.86 R ⊙ , an ejecta mass of M ej = 3.0 1 − 0.47 + 0.74 M ⊙ , a nickel mass of M Ni = 0.1 6 − 0.01 + 0.02 M ⊙ , and a steep outer density slope of n out = 14.6 8 − 0.51 + 0.24 . The steep outer profile favors a low-mass extended envelope, while the inferred ejecta mass is consistent with the rapid evolution of the main peak. However, a control model with standard γ -ray leakage fades too slowly after maximum. We therefore introduce an effective optical-output factor to quantify the additional late-time suppression of the ultraviolet–optical luminosity. These results support the shock-cooling plus radioactive-heating interpretation of SN 2024aecx, but show that its rapid optical decline requires physics beyond the simplest radioactive-diffusion prescription.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{wei2026coupled,
  title = {{Coupled Shock Cooling and Radioactive Heating in SN 2024aecx: An Extended Envelope and Rapid Optical Decline}},
  author = {Na Wei and Yu-Hao Zhang and Liang-Duan Liu and Guang-Lei Wu and Jing-Yao Li and Yun-Wei Yu and Ning-Chen Sun},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aea6a9},
  url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea6a9},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Coupled Shock Cooling and Radioactive Heating in SN 2024aecx: An Extended Envelope and Rapid Optical Decline
AU  - Na Wei
AU  - Yu-Hao Zhang
AU  - Liang-Duan Liu
AU  - Guang-Lei Wu
AU  - Jing-Yao Li
AU  - Yun-Wei Yu
AU  - Ning-Chen Sun
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - The Astrophysical Journal
DO  - 10.3847/1538-4357/aea6a9
UR  - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea6a9
AB  - SN 2024aecx is a nearby, rapidly evolving stripped-envelope supernova with a prominent double-peaked ultraviolet–optical light curve. We model its multiband evolution with an extended version of TransFit , in which the early shock-cooling emission and the subsequent radioactive heating are treated within a single time-dependent radiative diffusion calculation. To describe the stratified ejecta required by the early shock-cooling emission, we adopt compact inner ejecta connected to a dilute extended outer envelope and fit the outer density slope directly from the early light curve. The model reproduces the short-lived first peak, the rise to the radioactive main peak, and the overall multiband evolution. We infer an effective outer radius of R 0 = 264.1 4 − 87.50 + 139.86 R ⊙ , an ejecta mass of M ej = 3.0 1 − 0.47 + 0.74 M ⊙ , a nickel mass of M Ni = 0.1 6 − 0.01 + 0.02 M ⊙ , and a steep outer density slope of n out = 14.6 8 − 0.51 + 0.24 . The steep outer profile favors a low-mass extended envelope, while the inferred ejecta mass is consistent with the rapid evolution of the main peak. However, a control model with standard γ -ray leakage fades too slowly after maximum. We therefore introduce an effective optical-output factor to quantify the additional late-time suppression of the ultraviolet–optical luminosity. These results support the shock-cooling plus radioactive-heating interpretation of SN 2024aecx, but show that its rapid optical decline requires physics beyond the simplest radioactive-diffusion prescription.
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
ER  -