WISE 3.4 micron Detection of PTF10acbp

ATel #3099; R. M. Cutri (IPAC/Caltech), D. Hoffman (IPAC/Caltech), F. Masci (IPAC/Caltech), T. Conrow (IPAC/Caltech), M. M. Kasliwal (Caltech), G. Helou (IPAC/Caltech), E. O. Ofek (Caltech), S. R. Kulkarni (Caltech), J. Surace (IPAC/Caltech)
on 6 Jan 2011; 18:14 UT
Credential Certification: Roc Cutri (roc@ipac.caltech.edu)

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The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE; Wright et al. 2010 AJ 140, 1868) scanned the position of PTF10acbp (ATEL #3094), the luminous red nova in the spiral galaxy UGC 11973, 23 times between 2010 June 17 and June 23, and again 30 times between 2010 December 12 and December 16, just five days after the transient's discovery. The June observations were made during the WISE cryogenic survey yielding images at 3.4, 4.6, 12 and 22 microns. The December observations were made during the NEOWISE postcryogenic survey yielding images at 3.4 and 4.6 microns.

There is no discrete source visible at the reported position of PTF10acbp in the coadded WISE images from June. A point-like source at the transient's position is clearly detected in the difference between the December and June coadded 3.4 micron images. We measure a 3.4 micron flux density of 37 +/- 8 microJy for the transient in a 19.25" diameter aperture on the difference image. The transient is not detected in the 4.6 micron difference image with a measured 3-sigma flux upper limit of 63 microJy.

At the distance of UGC 11973, ~58 Mpc, the measured 3.4 micron flux density of the transient gives an in-band luminosity nu*L_nu = 1.3e40 ergs/sec, assuming a flat spectrum in nu*f_nu. This is nearly twice as luminous in the near infrared as other known luminous red novae.

WISE is a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NEOWISE is a project of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the Planetary Science Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.