Investigating the Nature of the Luminous Ambiguous Nuclear Transient ASASSN-17jz

We present observations of the extremely luminous but ambiguous nuclear transient (ANT) ASASSN-17jz, spanning roughly 1200 days of the object's evolution. ASASSN-17jz was discovered by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) in the galaxy SDSS J171955.84+414049.4 on UT 2017 July 27 at a redshift of z = 0.1641. The transient peaked at an absolute B-band magnitude of M ( B,peak) = -22.81, corresponding to a bolometric luminosity of L (bol,peak) = 8.3 x 10(44) erg s(-1), and exhibited late-time ultraviolet emission that was still ongoing in our latest observations. Integrating the full light curve gives a total emitted energy of E (tot) = (1.36 +/- 0.08) x 10(52) erg, with (0.80 +/- 0.02) x 10(52) erg of this emitted within 200 days of peak light. This late-time ultraviolet emission is accompanied by increasing X-ray emission that becomes softer as it brightens. ASASSN-17jz exhibited a large number of spectral emission lines most commonly seen in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with little evidence of evolution. It also showed transient Balmer features, which became fainter and broader over time, and are still being detected >1000 days after peak brightness. We consider various physical scenarios for the origin of the transient, including supernovae (SNe), tidal disruption events, AGN outbursts, and ANTs. We find that the most likely explanation is that ASASSN-17jz was a SN IIn occurring in or near the disk of an existing AGN, and that the late-time emission is caused by the AGN transitioning to a more active state.

Automated summary

In this study, we present observations of the extremely luminous but ambiguous nuclear transient ASASSN-17jz, which lasted for approximately 1200 days. The transient showed high brightness and ongoing ultraviolet emission, accompanied by increasing and softening X-ray emission. Our findings suggest that ASASSN-17jz is most likely a SN IIn occurring in or near an existing active galactic nucleus, and the late-time emission is caused by the AGN transitioning to a more active state.