Every supernova so far observed has been considered to be the terminal explosion of a star. Moreover, all supernovae with absorption lines in their spectra show those lines decreasing in velocity over time, as the ejecta expand and thin, revealing slower-moving material that was previously hidden. In addition, every supernova that exhibits the absorption lines of hydrogen has one main light-curve peak, or a plateau in luminosity, lasting approximately 100 days before declining. Here we report observations of iPTF14hls, an event that has spectra identical to a hydrogen-rich core-collapse supernova, but characteristics that differ extensively from those of known supernovae. The light curve has at least five peaks and remains bright for more than 600 days; the absorption lines show little to no decrease in velocity; and the radius of the line-forming region is more than an order of magnitude bigger than the radius of the photosphere derived from the continuum emission. These characteristics are consistent with a shell of several tens of solar masses ejected by the progenitor star at supernova-level energies a few hundred days before a terminal explosion. Another possible eruption was recorded at the same position in 1954. Multiple energetic pre-supernova eruptions are expected to occur in stars of 95 to 130 solar masses, which experience the pulsational pair instability. That model, however, does not account for the continued presence of hydrogen, or the energetics observed here. Another mechanism for the violent ejection of mass in massive stars may be required.

We present an exquisite 30 minute cadence Kepler (K2) light curve of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2018oh (ASASSN-18bt), starting weeks before explosion, covering the moment of explosion and the subsequent rise, and continuing past peak brightness. These data are supplemented by multi-color Panoramic Survey Telescope (Pan-STARRS1) and Rapid Response System 1 and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 4 m Dark Energy Camera (CTIO 4-m DECam) observations obtained within hours of explosion. The K2 light curve has an unusual twocomponent shape, where the flux rises with a steep linear gradient for the first few days, followed by a quadratic rise as seen for typical supernovae (SNe)Ia. This "flux excess" relative to canonical SNIa behavior is confirmed in our i-band light curve, and furthermore, SN 2018oh is especially blue during the early epochs. The flux excess peaks 2.14±0.04 days after explosion, has a FWHM of 3.12±0.04 days, a blackbody temperature of T 17, 500 9,000 11,500 =-+ K, a peak luminosity of 4.3 0.2 10 erg s 37 1 ´-, and a total integrated energy of 1.27 0.01 10 erg 43 ´. We compare SN 2018oh to several models that may provide additional heating at early times, including collision with a companion and a shallow concentration of radioactive nickel. While all of these models generally reproduce the early K2 light curve shape, we slightly favor a companion interaction, at a distance of ∼2 10 cm 12 based on our early color measurements, although the exact distance depends on the uncertain viewing angle. Additional confirmation of a companion interaction in future modeling and observations of SN 2018oh would provide strong support for a single-degenerate progenitor system.

All stellar mass black holes have hitherto been identified by X-rays emitted by gas that is accreting onto the black hole from a companion star. These systems are all binaries with black holes below 30 M ⊙ 1-4. Theory predicts, however, that X-ray emitting systems form a minority of the total population of star-black hole binaries 5, 6. When the black hole is not accreting gas, it can be found through radial velocity measurements of the motion of the companion star. Here we report radial velocity measurements of a Galactic star, LB-1, which is a B-type star, taken over two years. We find that the motion of the B-star and an accompanying Hα emission line require the presence of a dark companion with a mass of

Although comprehensive progress has been made in the area of coordination polymer (CP)/metal-organic framework (MOF)-based proton-conducting materials over the past decade, searching for a CP/MOF with stable, intrinsic, high anhydrous proton conductivity that can be directly used as a practical electrolyte in an intermediate-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cell assembly for durable power generation remains a substantial challenge. Here, we introduce a new proton-conducting CP, (NH)[Zr(HPO)] (ZrP), which consists of one-dimensional zirconium phosphate anionic chains and fully ordered charge-balancing NH cations. X-ray crystallography, neutron powder diffraction, and variable-temperature solid-state NMR spectroscopy suggest that protons are disordered within an inherent hydrogen-bonded infinite chain of acid-base pairs (N-H···O-P), leading to a stable anhydrous proton conductivity of 1.45 × 10 S·cm at 180 °C, one of the highest values among reported intermediate-temperature proton-conducting materials. First-principles and quantum molecular dynamics simulations were used to directly visualize the unique proton transport pathway involving very efficient proton exchange between NH and phosphate pairs, which is distinct from the common guest encapsulation/dehydration/superprotonic transition mechanisms. ZrP as the electrolyte was further assembled into a H/O fuel cell, which showed a record-high electrical power density of 12 mW·cm at 180 °C among reported cells assembled from crystalline solid electrolytes, as well as a direct methanol fuel cell for the first time to demonstrate real applications. These cells were tested for over 15 h without notable power loss.

The Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2013dy in NGC 7250 (d ≈ 13.7 Mpc) was discovered by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search. Combined with a prediscovery detection by the Italian Supernova Search Project, we are able to constrain the first-light time of SN 2013dy to be only 0.10 ± 0.05 d (2.4 ± 1.2 hr) before the first detection. This makes SN 2013dy the earliest known detection of an SN Ia. We infer an upper limit on the radius of the progenitor star of R 0 0.25 R ⊙ , consistent with that of a white dwarf. The light curve exhibits a broken power law with exponents of 0.88 and then 1.80. A spectrum taken 1.63 d after first light reveals a C II absorption line comparable in strength to Si II. This is the strongest C II feature ever detected in a normal SN Ia, suggesting that the progenitor star had significant unburned material. The C II line in SN 2013dy weakens rapidly and is undetected in a spectrum 7 days later, indicating that C II is detectable for only a very short time in some SNe Ia. SN 2013dy reached a B-band maximum of M B = −18.72 ± 0.03 mag ∼17.7 d after first light.

We present extensive ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared observations of the type IIP supernova (SN IIP) 2013ej in the nearby spiral galaxy M74. The multicolor light curves, spanning from ∼ 8-185 days after explosion, show that it has a higher peak luminosity (i.e., M V ∼−17.83 mag at maximum light), a faster post-peak decline, and a shorter plateau phase (i.e., ∼ 50 days) compared to the normal type IIP SN 1999em. The mass of 56 Ni is estimated as 0.02±0.01 M ⊙ from the radioactive tail of the bolometric light curve. The spectral evolution of SN 2013ej is similar to that of SN 2004et and SN 2007od, but shows a larger expansion velocity (i.e., v F eII ∼ 4600 km s −1 at t ∼ 50 days) and broader line profiles. In the nebular phase, the emission of Hα line displays a double-peak structure, perhaps due to the asymmetric distribution of 56 Ni produced in the explosion. With the constraints from the main observables such as bolometric light curve, expansion velocity and photospheric temperature of SN 2013ej, we performed hydrodynamical simulations of the explosion parameters, yielding the total explosion energy as ∼0.7× 10 51 erg, the radius of the progenitor as ∼600 R ⊙ , and the ejected mass as ∼10.6 M ⊙ . These results suggest that SN 2013ej likely arose from a red supergiant with a mass of 12-13 M ⊙ immediately before the explosion.

We present well-sampled optical observations of the bright Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2011fe in M101. Our data, starting from ∼16 days before maximum light and extending to ∼463 days after maximum, provide an unprecedented time series of spectra and photometry for a normal SNIa. Fitting the early-time rising light curve, we find that the luminosity evolution of SN 2011fe follows a t n law, with the index n being close to 2.0 in the VRI bands but slightly larger in the U and B bands. Combining the published ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) photometry, we derive the contribution of UV/NIR emission relative to the optical. SN 2011fe is found to have stronger UV emission and reaches its UV peak a few days earlier than other SNeIa with similar Δm 15 (B), suggestive of less trapping of high-energy photons in the ejecta. Moreover, the U-band light curve shows a notably faster decline at late phases (t≈100-300 days), which also suggests that the ejecta may be relatively transparent to UV photons. These results favor the notion that SN 2011fe might have a progenitor system with relatively lower metallicity. On the other hand, the early-phase spectra exhibit prominent high-velocity features (HVFs) of O I λ7773 and the Ca IINIR triplet, but only barely detectable in Si II6355. This difference can be caused byeitheran ionization/temperature effect or an abundance enhancement scenario for the formation of HVFs; it suggests that the photospheric temperature of SN 2011fe is intrinsically low, perhaps owing to incomplete burning during the explosion of the white dwarf.

On 2018 February 4.41, the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) discovered ASASSN-18bt in the K2 Campaign 16 field. With a redshift of z=0.01098 and a peak apparent magnitude of B max =14.31, ASASSN-18bt is the nearest and brightest SNe Ia yet observed by the Kepler spacecraft. Here we present the discovery of ASASSN-18bt, the K2 light curve, and prediscovery data from ASAS-SN and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. The K2 early-time light curve has an unprecedented 30-minute cadence and photometric precision for an SNIa light curve, and it unambiguously shows a ∼4 day nearly linear phase followed by a steeper rise. Thus, ASASSN-18bt joins a growing list of SNe Ia whose early light curves are not well described by a single power law. We show that a double-power-law model fits the data reasonably well, hinting that two physical processes must be responsible for the observed rise. However, we find that current models of the interaction with a nondegenerate companion predict an abrupt rise and cannot adequately explain the initial, slower linear phase. Instead, we find that existing published models with shallow 56 Ni are able to span the observed behavior and, with tuning, may be able to reproduce the ASASSN-18bt light curve. Regardless, more theoretical work is needed to satisfactorily model this and other early-time SNeIa light curves. Finally, we use Swift X-ray nondetections to constrain the presence of circumstellar material (CSM) at much larger distances and lower densities than possible with the optical light curve. For a constant-density CSM, these nondetections constrain ρ<4.5×10 5 cm −3 at a radius of 4×10 15 cm from the progenitor star. Assuming a wind-like environment, we place mass loss limits of M M 8 10 yr 6 1 <´-☉ for v w =100 km s −1 , ruling out some symbiotic progenitor systems. This work highlights the power of well-sampled early-time data and the need for immediate multiband, high-cadence follow-up for progress in understanding SNeIa.