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arXiv · 2409.01906

Binary progenitor systems for Type Ic supernovae

Abstract

Core-collapse supernovae are explosions of massive stars at the end of their evolution. They are responsible for metal production and for halting star formation, having a significant impact on galaxy evolution. The details of these processes depend on the nature of supernova progenitors, but it is unclear if Type Ic supernovae (without hydrogen or helium lines in their spectra) originate from core-collapses of very massive stars (> 30 Msun) or from less massive stars in binary systems. Here we show that Type II (with hydrogen lines) and Ic supernovae are located in environments with similar molecular gas densities, therefore their progenitors have comparable lifetimes and initial masses. This supports a binary interaction for most Type Ic supernova progenitors, which explains the lack of hydrogen and helium lines. This finding can be implemented in sub-grid prescriptions in numerical cosmological simulations to improve the feedback and chemical mixing.

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Martín Solar, Michał J. Michałowski, Jakub Nadolny, Lluís Galbany, Jens Hjorth, Emmanouil Zapartas, Jesper Sollerman, Leslie Hunt, Sylvio Klose, Maciej Koprowski, Aleksandra Leśniewska, Michał Małkowski, Ana M. Nicuesa Guelbenzu, Oleh Ryzhov, Sandra Savaglio, Patricia Schady, Steve Schulze, Antonio de Ugarte Postigo, Susanna D. Vergani, Darach Watson, Radosław Wróblewski. 2024-09-03. Binary progenitor systems for Type Ic supernovae. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51863-z

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