The rise times and bolometric light curve of SN 1994D: Constraints on models of type Ia supernovae

Using published photometry and an empirical model of the temporal evolution of the apparent magnitudes in the UBVRI passbands, we have constructed a continuous optical bolometric, or ''quasi-bolometric,'' light curve of the well-observed Type Ia supernova SN 1994D. The optical bolometric light curve is found to have a maximum luminosity of about 8.8 x 10(42) x (D/13.7 Mpc)(2) ergs s(-1), which is reached similar to 18 days after the explosion. In addition, the optical bolometric light curve exhibits an inflection, or ''shoulder,'' about 25 days after maximum. This inflection corresponds to the secondary maximum observed in all filter light curves redder than B. The individual filter curves have rise times similar to that of the optical bolometric light curve; other Type Ia supernovae are found to have similar rise times. Our fits indicate that the peak bolometric luminosity and the maxima in the B, V, and R light curves all occur within a day of one another. These results can be used to place constraints on theoretical models of Type Ia events. For example, most current theoretical models predict rise times to peak luminosity which are significantly shorter than that estimated for SN 1994D.