Adaptive optics discovery of supernova 2004ip in the nuclear regions of the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS 18293-3413

Abstract

We report a supernova discovery in K-s-band images from the NAOS CONICA adaptive optics (AO) system on the ESO Very Large Telescope. The images were obtained as part of a near- infrared search for highly obscured supernovae in the nuclear regions of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. SN 2004ip is located within a circumnuclear starburst at 1.4 '' ( or 500 pc) projected distance from the K-band nucleus of the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS 18293-3413. The supernova luminosity and light curve are consistent with a core-collapse event suffering from a host galaxy extinction of up to about 40 mag in the V band, which is as expected for a circumnuclear starburst environment. This is the first supernova to be discovered making use of AO correction and demonstrates the potential of the current 8 m-class telescopes equipped with AO in discovering supernovae from the innermost nuclear regions of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies.