Bolometric light curve of SN 2009dc assuming various levels of extinction, in comparison with that of SN 2005cf. The curve plotted with empty circles assumes no host-galaxy extinction, the half-filled circles assume E(B−V)host = 0.1 mag with RV = 3.1, and the filled circles assume E(B−V)host = 0.3 mag with RV = 3.1. For comparison, we include the bolometric light curve of SN 2005cf as a dashed line (Wang et al. 2009b). We indicate our calculated range of values of t+1/2 (i.e. the number of days after maximum bolometric luminosity when the bolometric luminosity has decreased to half its maximum value) for SN 2009dc within the shaded grey region bounded by dotted lines. The lower bound of t+1/2 = 20.5 d is calculated using a host reddening of E(B−V)host = 0.3 mag and the upper limit of t+1/2 = 22.8 d assumes no host-galaxy extinction.
