Post-maximum near-infrared spectra of SN 2014J: a search for interaction signatures

We present near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic and photometric observations of the nearby Type Ia SN 2014J. The 17 NIR spectra span epochs from +15.3 to +92.5 days after B-band maximum light, while the ${JHK}_s$ photometry include epochs from −10 to +71 days. These data are used to constrain the progenitor system of SN 2014J utilizing the Paβ line, following recent suggestions that this phase period and the NIR in particular are excellent for constraining the amount of swept-up hydrogen-rich material associated with a non-degenerate companion star. We find no evidence for Paβ emission lines in our post-maximum spectra, with a rough hydrogen mass limit of $\lesssim 0.1$ M _⊙, which is consistent with previous limits in SN 2014J from late-time optical spectra of the Hα line. Nonetheless, the growing data set of high-quality NIR spectra holds the promise of very useful hydrogen constraints.