Radiative properties of pair-instability supernova explosions

We present non-local thermodynamic equilibrium time-dependent radiative transfer simulations of pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) stemming from red-supergiant (RSG), blue-supergiant and Wolf-Rayet star rotation-free progenitors born in the mass range 160-230 M-circle dot, at 10(-4) Z(circle dot). Although subject to uncertainties in convection and stellar mass-loss rates, our initial conditions come from physically-consistent models that treat evolution from the main sequence, the onset of the pair-production instability, and the explosion phase. With our set of input models characterized by large Ni-56 and ejecta masses, and large kinetic energies, we recover qualitatively the Type II-Plateau, II-peculiar and Ib/c light-curve morphologies, although they have larger peak bolometric luminosities (similar to 10(9) to 10(10) L-circle dot) and a longer duration (similar to 200 d). We discuss the spectral properties for each model during the photospheric and nebular phases, including Balmer lines in II-P and II-pec at early times, the dominance of lines from intermediate-mass elements near the bolometric maximum, and the strengthening of metal line blanketing thereafter. Having similar He-core properties, all models exhibit similar post-peak spectra that are strongly blanketed by Fe II and Fe I lines, characterized by red colours, and that arise from photospheres/ejecta with a temperature of less than or similar to 4000 K. Combined with the modest linewidths after the bolometric peak, these properties contrast with those of known superluminous SNe, suggesting that PISNe are yet to be discovered. Being reddish, PISNe will be difficult to observe at high redshift except when they stem from RSG explosions, in which case they could be used as metallicity probes and distance indicators.