A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
WFST Supernovae in the First Year. I. Statistical Study of 16 Early-phase Type Ia Supernovae from the Pilot Survey
Authors: Wu, Weiyu; Jiang, Ji-an; Xu, Zelin; Meng, Dezheng; Maeda, Keiichi; Kuncarayakti, Hanindyo; Galbany, Lluís; Jha, Saurabh W.; Ivezić, Željko; Yoachim, Peter; Liu, Zhengyan; Zhao, Junhan; Wang, Tinggui; Kong, Xu; Connolly, Andrew J.; Jia, Ziqing; Hu, Lei; Fan, Lulu; Jiang, Ning; Li, Feng; Liang, Ming; Tang, Jinlong; Wan, Zhen; Wang, Hairen; Wang, Jian; Xue, Yongquan; Zhang, Hongfei; Zhao, Wen; Zheng, Xianzhong; Zhu, Qingfeng
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Article number: 065019
Volume: 26
Issue: 6
ISSN: 1674-4527
eISSN: 2397-6209
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-4527/ae4e13
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: No Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-4527/ae4e13
Preprint address: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.17268
In this paper, we present 16 early-phase type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered during the pilot survey of the 2.5 mr Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST-PS) from 2024 March 4 to July 10 including three SNe Ia with early-excess emission features (EExSNe Ia). The discovery magnitude of the 16 WFST-PS early-phase SNe is at least 3 mag fainter than their peak brightness. A large scatter of color indices is found in approximately the first 10 days of supernova explosions, indicating diverse photometric behaviors in the early phase. Three EExSNe Ia show relatively brighter peak luminosities and longer rise time compared to those of non-EExSNe Ia. The results indicate that current theoretical models require further refinement to fully capture the early photometric evolution of SNe Ia. Based on the initial high-cadence ugr-band data from the WFST-PS survey, we emphasize that early near-ultraviolet (NUV) observations are indispensable for placing tight constraints on the explosion mechanisms and progenitor systems of SNe Ia.
Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 12393811), the National Key R&D Program of China (grant No. 2023YFA1608100), and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Science (grant No. XDB0550300). J.J. acknowledges support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI grants JP22K14069. K.M. acknowledges support from the JSPS KAKENHI grant JP24KK0070 and 24H01810. K.M. and H.K. acknowledge support from the JSPS bilateral JPJSBP120229923. L.G. acknowledges financial support from AGAUR, CSIC, MCIN, and AEI 10.13039/501100011033 under projects PID2023-151307NB-I00, PIE 20215AT016, CEX2020-001058-M, ILINK23001, COOPB2304, and 2021-SGR-01270.
