Paper detail

Post-maximum near infrared spectra of SN 2014J: A search for interaction signatures

We present near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic and photometric observations of the nearby Type Ia SN 2014J. The seventeen NIR spectra span epochs from +15.3 to +92.5 days after $B$-band maximum light, while the $JHK_s$ photometry include epochs from $-$10 to +71 days. This data is used to constrain the progenitor system of SN 2014J utilizing the Pa$β$ line, following recent suggestions that this phase period and the NIR in particular are excellent for constraining the amount of swept up hydrogen-rich material associated with a non-degenerate companion star. We find no evidence for Pa$β$ emission lines in our post-maximum spectra, with a rough hydrogen mass limit of $\lesssim$0.1 $M_{\odot}$, which is consistent with previous limits in SN 2014J from late-time optical spectra of the H$α$ line. Nonetheless, the growing dataset of high-quality NIR spectra holds the promise of very useful hydrogen constraints.