title: PTF 11kx: a type Ia supernova with a symbiotic nova progenitor.
abstract: There is a consensus that type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) arise from the thermonuclear explosion of white dwarf stars that accrete matter from a binary companion. However, direct observation of SN Ia progenitors is lacking, and the precise nature of the binary companion remains uncertain. A temporal series of high-resolution optical spectra of the SN Ia PTF 11kx reveals a complex circumstellar environment that provides an unprecedentedly detailed view of the progenitor system. Multiple shells of circumstellar material are detected, and the SN ejecta are seen to interact with circumstellar material starting 59 days after the explosion. These features are best described by a symbiotic nova progenitor, similar to RS Ophiuchi.
authors.affiliation: Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA. bdilday@lcogt.net
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dilday
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cenko
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Nugent
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben-Ami
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bildsten
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolte
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endl
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Filippenko
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gnat
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horesh
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kasliwal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kirkman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Marcy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Parrent
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Podsiadlowski
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Quimby
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sternberg
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Tytler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gal-Yam
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Hook
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Ofek
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Polishook
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poznanski