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arXiv · 1301.1975

The death of massive stars - II. Observational constraints on the progenitors of type Ibc supernovae

John J. Eldridge·Morgan Fraser·Stephen J. Smartt·Justyn R. Maund·R. Mark Crockett
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Abstract

The progenitors of many type II core-collapse supernovae have now been identified directly on pre-discovery imaging. Here we present an extensive search for the progenitors of type Ibc supernovae in all available pre-discovery imaging since 1998. There are 12 type Ibc supernovae with no detections of progenitors in either deep ground-based or Hubble Space Telescope archival imaging. The deepest absolute BVR magnitude limits are between -4 and -5. We compare these limits with the observed Wolf-Rayet population in the Large Magellanic Cloud and estimate a 16 per cent probability we have failed to detect such a progenitor by chance. Alternatively the progenitors evolve significantly before core-collapse or we have underestimated the extinction towards the progenitors. Reviewing the relative rates and ejecta mass estimates from lightcurve modelling of Ibc SNe, we find both incompatible with Wolf-Rayet stars with initial masses >25Msun being the only progenitors. We present binary evolution models that fit these observational constraints. Stars in binaries with initial masses <20Msun lose their hydrogen envelopes in binary interactions to become low mass helium stars. They retain a low mass hydrogen envelope until approximately 10,000 years before core-collapse; hence it is not surprising that galactic analogues have been difficult to identify.

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John J. Eldridge, Morgan Fraser, Stephen J. Smartt, Justyn R. Maund, R. Mark Crockett. 2013-01-09. The death of massive stars - II. Observational constraints on the progenitors of type Ibc supernovae. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt1612

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