We present 3D full-sphere supernova simulations of non-rotating low-mass (~9 Msun) progenitors, covering the entire evolution from core collapse through bounce and shock revival, through shock breakout from the stellar surface, until fallback is completed several days later. We obtain low-energy explosions [~(0.5-1.0)x 10^{50} erg] of iron-core progenitors at the low-mass end of the core-collapse supernova (LMCCSN) domain and compare to a super-AGB (sAGB) progenitor with an oxygen-neon-magnesium core that collapses and explodes as electron-capture supernova (ECSN). The onset of the explosion in the LMCCSN models is modelled self-consistently using the Vertex-Prometheus code, whereas the ECSN explosion is modelled using parametric neutrino transport in the Prometheus-HOTB code, choosing different explosion energies in the range of previous self-consistent models. The sAGB and LMCCSN progenitors that share structural similarities have almost spherical explosions with little metal mixing into the hydrogen envelope. A LMCCSN with less 2nd dredge-up results in a highly asymmetric explosion. It shows efficient mixing and dramatic shock deceleration in the extended hydrogen envelope. Both properties allow fast nickel plumes to catch up with the shock, leading to extreme shock deformation and aspherical shock breakout. Fallback masses of <~5x10^{-3} Msun have no significant effects on the neutron star (NS) masses and kicks. The anisotropic fallback carries considerable angular momentum, however, and determines the spin of the newly-born NS. The LMCCSNe model with less 2nd dredge-up results in a hydrodynamic and neutrino-induced NS kick of >40 km/s and a NS spin period of ~30 ms, both not largely different from those of the Crab pulsar at birth.
Massive stars unable to sustain gravitational collapse, at the end of nuclear burning stage, turns out into core-collapse supernovae, leaving behind compact objects like neutron stars or black holes. The progenitor properties like mass and metallicity primarily governs the explosion parameters and type of compact remnant. In this contribution we summarize observational study of three Core Collapse type IIP SNe 2012aw, 2013ab and 2013ej, which are rigorously observed from ARIES and other Indian observatories and discuss their progenitor and explosion properties.
What the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are, whether they are near-Chandrasekhar mass or sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, has been the matter of debate for decades. Various observational hints are supporting both models as the main progenitors. In this paper, we review the explosion physics and the chemical abundance patterns of SNe Ia from these two classes of progenitors. We will discuss how the observational data of SNe Ia, their remnants, the Milky Way Galaxy, and galactic clusters can help us to determine the essential features where numerical models of SNe Ia need to matc…
What sort of supernova gave rise to the Crab Nebula? There are several indications that the Crab arose from a sub-energetic explosion of an 8-10 Msun star, this appears to conflict with the high luminosity indicated by historical observations. This paper shows that several properties of the Crab are best suited to Type IIn-P explosions (Type IIn spectra with plateau light curves). These events probably arise from relatively low-energy (1e50 erg) explosions with low 56Ni yield resulting from electron-capture SNe (ecSNe), but their high luminosity and Type IIn spectra are dominated by shock inte…
Although there is a nearly universal agreement that type Ia supernovae are associated with the thermonuclear disruption of a CO white dwarf, the exact nature of their progenitors is still unknown. The single degenerate scenario envisages a white dwarf accreting matter from a non-degenerate companion in a binary system. Nuclear energy of the accreted matter is released in the form of electromagnetic radiation or gives rise to numerous classical nova explosions prior to the supernova event. We show that combined X-ray output of supernova progenitors and statistics of classical novae predicted in…
The classic example of a Type IIb supernova is SN 1993J, which had a cool extended progenitor surrounded by a dense wind. There is evidence for another category of Type IIb supernova which has a more compact progenitor with a lower density, probably fast, wind. Distinguishing features of the compact category are: weak optical emission from the shock heated envelope at early times; nonexistent or very weak H emission in the late nebular phase; rapidly evolving radio emission; rapid expansion of the radio shell; and expected nonthermal as opposed to thermal X-ray emission. Type IIb supernovae th…
One of the key observables for determining the progenitor nature of Type Ia supernovae is provided by their immediate circumstellar medium, which according to several models should be shaped by the progenitor binary system. So far, X-ray and radio observations indicate that the surroundings are very tenuous, producing severe upper-limits on the mass loss from winds of the progenitors. In this study, we perform numerical hydro-dynamical simulations of the interaction of the SN ejecta with circumstellar structures formed by possible mass outflows from the progenitor systems and we estimate numer…
Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are the explosions of massive stars following the collapse of the stars' iron cores. Poznanski (2013) has recently suggested an observational correlation between the ejecta velocities and the inferred masses of the red supergiant progenitors of type II-P explosions, which implies that the kinetic energy of the ejecta ($E_{\textrm{kin}}$) increases with the mass of the progenitor. I point out that the same conclusion can be reached from the model-free observed correlation between the ejected $^{56}$Ni masses ($M_{\textrm{Ni}}$) and the luminosities of the progen…
Here are reviewed the insights from observations at optical and infrared wavelengths for low mass limits above which stars do not seem to end as luminous supernovae. These insights are: (1) the absence in archived images of nearby galaxies of stellar progenitors of core-collapse supernovae above 16-18 solar masses, (2) the identification of luminous-massive stars that quietly disappear without optically bright supernovae, (3) the absence in the nebular spectra of supernovae of type II-P of the nucleosynthetic products expected from progenitors above 20 solar masses, (4) the absence in color ma…
The CHIMERA code is a multi-dimensional multi-physics engine dedicated primarily to the simulation of core collapse supernova explosions. One of the most important aspects of these explosions is their capacity to produce gravitational radiation that is detectable by Earth-based laser-interferometric gravitational wave observatories such as LIGO and VIRGO. We present here preliminary gravitational signatures of two-dimensional models with non-rotating progenitors. These simulations exhibit explosions, which are followed for more than half a second after stellar core bounce.
The progenitor stars of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are asymmetrically fluctuating due to turbulent convections in the late stages of their lives. The progenitor asymmetry at the pre-supernova stage has recently caught the attention as a new ingredient to facilitate shock revival in the delayed neutrino-heating mechanism. In this paper, we investigate the importance of the progenitor asymmetries to shock revival with a semi-analytical approach. Free parameters were chosen such that the time evolution of shock radii and mass accretion rates are compatible with the results of detailed numer…
Recent progress in numerical simulations of thermonuclear supernova explosions brings up a unique opportunity in studying the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae. Coupling state-of-the-art explosion models with detailed hydrodynamical simulations of the supernova remnant evolution and the most up-to-date atomic data for X-ray emission calculations makes it possible to create realistic synthetic X-ray spectra for the supernova remnant phase. Comparing such spectra with high quality observations of supernova remnants could allow to constrain the explosion mechanism and the progenitor of the supern…
An accurate determination of the mass-loss rate of the progenitor stars to core-collapse supernovae is often limited by uncertainties pertaining to various model assumptions. It is shown that under conditions when the temperature of the circumstellar medium is set by heating due to free-free absorption, observations of the accompanying free-free optical depth allow a direct determination of the mass-loss rate from observed quantities in a rather model independent way. The temperature is determined self-consistently, which results in a characteristic time dependence of the free-free optical dep…
The progenitors of hydrogen-poor core-collapse supernovae (SNe) of types Ib, Ic and IIb are believed to have shed their outer hydrogen envelopes either by extremely strong stellar winds, characteristic of classical Wolf-Rayet stars, or by binary interaction with a close companion star. The exact nature of the progenitors and the relative importance of these processes are still open questions. One relatively unexplored method to constrain the progenitors is to search for high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB) at SN locations in pre-explosion X-ray observations. In a HMXB, one star has already exploded…
Observational evidence suggests a link between long duration gamma ray bursts (LGRBs) and Type Ic supernovae. Here, we propose a potential mechanism for Type Ic supernovae in LGRB progenitors powered solely by accretion energy. We present spherically-symmetric hydrodynamic simulations of the long-term accretion of a rotating gamma-ray burst progenitor star, a "collapsar," onto the central compact object, which we take to be a black hole. The simulations were carried out with the adaptive mesh refinement code FLASH in one spatial dimension and with rotation, an explicit shear viscosity, and con…
Neutron stars (NSs) obtain kicks of typically several 100 km/s at birth. The gravitational tug-boat mechanism can explain these kicks as consequences of asymmetric mass ejection during the supernova (SN) explosion. Support for this hydrodynamic explanation is provided by observations of SN remnants with associated NSs, which confirm the prediction that the bulk of the explosion ejecta, in particular chemical elements between silicon and the iron group, are dominantly expelled in the hemisphere opposite to the direction of the NS kick. Here, we present a large set of two- and three-dimensional …
Type Ia supernovae are vital to our understanding of the Universe due to their use in measuring cosmological distances and their significance in enriching the interstellar medium with heavy elements. They are understood to be the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarfs, but the exact mechanism(s) leading to these explosions remains unclear. The two competing models are the single degenerate scenario, wherein a white dwarf accretes material from a companion star and explodes when it reaches the Chandrasekhar limit, and the double degenerate scenario, wherein the explosion results from a merger…
We present neutrino-transport hydrodynamic simulations of electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe) in \texttt{FLASH} with new two-dimensional (2D) collapsing progenitor models. These progenitor models feature the 2D modelling of oxygen-flame propagation until the onset of core collapse. We perform axisymmetric simulations with 6 progenitor models that, at the time of collapse, span a range of propagating flame front radii. For comparison, we also perform a simulation with the same setup using the canonical, spherically-symmetrical progenitor model n8.8. We found that the variations in the progenito…
Hydrogen-rich core collapse supernovae, known as "Type II" supernovae, are the most common type of stellar explosion realized in nature. They are defined by the presence of prominent hydrogen lines in their spectra. Type II supernovae are observed only in star-forming galaxies, and several events have been directly linked to massive star progenitors. Five main subclasses are identified: Type IIP (displaying a plateau in their light curve), Type IIL (displaying a light curve decline), Type IIn (displaying narrow emission lines), Type IIb (displaying increasingly strong He features with time) an…
In the single degenerate (SD) scenario of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), the collision of the ejecta with its companion results in stripping hydrogen rich matter from the companion star. This hydrogen rich matter might leave its trace in the light curves and/or spectra. In this paper, we perform radiation hydrodynamical simulations of this collision for three binary systems. As a result, we find that the emission from the shock-heated region is not as strong as in the previous study. This weak emission, however, may be a result of our underestimate of the coupling between the gas and radiation i…
We use Gaia Data Release 2 to search for possible surviving binary companions to three of the best studied historical Milky Way core-collapse supernovae. Consistent with previous work, we find there to be no plausible binary companion to either the Crab or Cas A supernovae. For the first time, we present a systematic search for a former companion to the Vela supernova, and rule out essentially any surviving luminous ($>L_\odot$) companion. Based on parallax and proper motion, we identify a faint source (Star A; Gaia Source ID 5521955992667891584) which is kinematically consistent with being a …
We use the results of a supernova light-curve population synthesis to predict the range of possible supernova light curves arising from a population of single-star progenitors that lead to type IIP supernovae. We calculate multiple models varying the initial mass, explosion energy, nickel mass and nickel mixing and then compare these to type IIP supernovae with detailed light curve data and pre-explosion imaging progenitor constraints. Where a good fit is obtained to observations, we are able to achieve initial progenitor and nickel mass estimates from the supernova lightcurve that are compara…
We review all the models proposed for the progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each scenario when confronted with observations. We show that all scenarios encounter at least a few serious diffculties, if taken to represent a comprehensive model for the progenitors of all Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Consequently, we tentatively conclude that there is probably more than one channel leading SNe Ia. While the single-degenerate scenario (in which a single white dwarf accretes mass from a normal stellar companion) has been studied in some detail, the …
Three-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae are granting new insight into the as-yet uncertain mechanism that drives successful explosions. While there is still debate about whether explosions are obtained more easily in 3D than in 2D, it is undeniable that there exist qualitative and quantitative differences between the results of 3D and 2D simulations. We present an extensive set of high-resolution one-, two-, and three-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations with multispecies neutrino leakage carried out in two different progenitors. Our simulations confirm the results…
It was recently shown that the bolometric light curves of type II supernovae (SNe) allow an accurate and robust measurement of the product of the radiation energy in the ejecta, $E_r$, and the time since the explosion, $t$, at early phases ($t\lesssim 10d$) of the homologous expansion. This observable, denoted here $ET \equiv E_rt$ is constant during that time and depends only on the progenitor structure and explosion energy. We use a 1D hydrodynamic code to find $ET$ of simulated explosions of 145 red supergiant progenitors obtained using the stellar evolution code MESA, and relate this obser…
We perform spherically-symmetric general-relativistic simulations of core collapse and the postbounce preexplosion phase in 32 presupernova stellar models of solar metallicity with zero-age-main-sequence masses of 12 M_{sun} to 120 M_{sun}. Using energy-dependent three-species neutrino transport in the two-moment approximation with an analytic closure, we show that the emitted neutrino luminosities and spectra follow very systematic trends that are correlated with the compactness (~M/R) of the progenitor star's inner regions via the accretion rate in the preexplosion phase. We find that these …
We present Large Binocular Telescope difference imaging data for the final years of four Type II-P/L supernovae progenitors. For all four, we find no significant evidence for stochastic or steady variability in the U, B, V, or R-bands. Our limits constrain variability to no more than roughly 5-10% of the expected R-band luminosities of the progenitors. These limits are comparable to the observed variability of red supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds. Based on these four events, the probability of a Type II-P/L progenitor having an extended outburst after Oxygen ignition is <37% at 90% confide…
We present the results of a systematic numerical study of an alternative progenitor scenario to produce type Ia supernova explosions, which is not restricted to the ignition of a CO white dwarf near the Chandrasekhar mass. In this scenario, a shock-triggered thermonuclear explosion ensues from the collision of two white dwarfs. Consistent modeling of the gas dynamics together with nuclear reactions using both a smoothed particle and a grid-based hydrodynamics code are performed to study the viability of this alternative progenitor channel. We find that shock-triggered ignition and the synthesi…
We present new 1D (spherical) and 2D (axisymmetric) simulations of electron-capture (EC) and low-mass iron-core-collapse supernovae (SN). We consider six progenitor models: the ECSN progenitor from Nomoto (1984, 1987); two ECSN-like low-mass low-metallicity iron core progenitors from Heger (private communication); and the 9-, 10-, and 11-$M_\odot$ (zero-age main sequence) progenitors from Sukhbold et al. (2016). We confirm that the ECSN and ESCN-like progenitors explode easily even in 1D with explosion energies of up to a 0.15 Bethes ($1 {\rm B} \equiv 10^{51}\ {\rm erg}$), and are a viable me…
This paper presents a database of the spectroscopic- and photometric- spectral energy distributions (spec-SEDs and phot-SEDs) of the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Both binary- and single-star progenitors are included in the database. The database covers the initial metallicity ($Z$) range of 0.0001--0.03, mass range of 8--25 \dsm{}, binary mass ratio range of 0--1, and orbital period range of 0.1--10000\,days. The low-resolution spec-SEDs and phot-SEDs of single- and binary-star CCSN progenitors are included in the database. These data can be used for studying the basic para…
Stars in the mass range from 8 to 10 solar masses are expected to produce one of two types of supernovae (SNe), either electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe) or core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), depending on their previous evolution. Either of the associated progenitors retain extended and massive hydrogen-rich envelopes, the observables of these SNe are, therefore, expected to be similar. In this study we explore the differences in these two types of SNe. Specifically, we investigate three different progenitor models: a solar-metallicity ECSN progenitor with an initial mass of 8.8 solar masses, …
We present a sample of Type Icn supernovae (SNe Icn), a newly-discovered class of transients characterized by their interaction with H- and He-poor circumstellar material (CSM). This sample is the largest collection of SNe Icn to date and includes observations of two published objects (SN 2019hgp and SN 2021csp) as well as two objects (SN 2019jc and SN 2021ckj) not yet published in the literature. The SNe Icn display a range of peak luminosities, rise times, and decline rates, as well as diverse late-time spectral features. To investigate their explosion and progenitor properties we fit their …
An erroneous interpretation of the hydrodynamical results led to an incorrect determination of the fallback masses in Ugliano et al. (2012), which also (on a smaller level) affects the neutron star masses provided in that paper. This problem was already addressed and corrected in the follow-up works by Ertl et al. (2015) and Sukhbold et al. (2015). Therefore, the reader is advised to use the new data of the latter two publications. In the remaining text of this Erratum we present the differences of the old and new fallback results in detail and explain the origin of the mistake in the original…
Thermonuclear (type Ia) supernovae are bright stellar explosions with the unique property that the light curves can be standardized, allowing them to be used as distance indicators for cosmological studies. Many fundamental questions bout these events remain, however. We provide a critique of our present understanding of these and present results of simulations assuming the single-degenerate progenitor model consisting of a white dwarf that has gained mass from a stellar companion. We present results from full three-dimensional simulations of convection with weak reactions comprising the A=23 …
The progenitors of Type IIP supernovae (SNe) are known to be red supergiants, but their properties are not well determined. We employ hydrodynamical modelling to investigate the explosion characteristics of eight Type IIP supernovae, and the properties of their progenitor stars. We create evolutionary models using the {\sc MESA} stellar evolution code, explode these models, and simulate the optical lightcurves using the {\sc STELLA} code. We fit the optical lightcurves, Fe II 5169Å velocity, and photospheric velocity, to the observational data. Recent research has suggested that the progenitor…
Despite the significance of Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) in many fields in astrophysics, SNeIa lack a theoretical explanation. The standard scenarios involve thermonuclear explosions of carbon/oxygen white dwarfs approaching the Chandrasekhar mass; either by accretion from a companion or by a merger of two white dwarfs. We investigate the contribution from both channels to the SNIa rate with the binary population synthesis (BPS) code SeBa in order to constrain binary processes such as the mass retention efficiency of WD accretion and common envelope evolution. We determine the theoretical rates …
We infer the progenitor mass distribution for 22 historic core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) using a Bayesian hierarchical model. For this inference, we use the local star formation histories to estimate the age for each supernova (SN). These star formation histories often show multiple bursts of star formation; our model assumes that one burst is associated with the SN progenitor and the others are random bursts of star formation. The primary inference is the progenitor age distribution. Due to the limited number of historic SNe and highly uncertain star formation at young ages, we restrict our…
Although Type Ia supernovae have been heavily scrutinized due to their use in making cosmological distance estimates, we are still unable to definitively identify the progenitors for the entire population. While answers have been presented for certain specific systems, a complete solution remains elusive. We present observations of two supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, SNR 0505-67.9 and SNR 0509-68.7, for which we have identified the center of the remnant and the 99.73% containment central region in which any companion star left over after the supernova must be located. …
Type Ia supernovae, with their remarkably homogeneous light curves and spectra, have been used as standardizable candles to measure the accelerating expansion of the Universe. Yet, their progenitors remain elusive. Common explanations invoke a degenerate star (white dwarf) which explodes upon reaching close to the Chandrasekhar limit, by either steadily accreting mass from a companion star or violently merging with another degenerate star. We show that circumstellar interaction in young Galactic supernova remnants can be used to distinguish between these single and double degenerate progenitor…
Prior to explosion, a supernova progenitor slowly loses significant amounts of its hydrogen envelope in a stellar wind. After the explosion, the blastwave interacts with this wind producing synchrotron emission. A year of radio observations allows us to probe the progenitor evolution for a thousand years. The EVLA and SKA would represent more than an order of magnitude improvement in our ability to explore the pre-explosion lives of a significantly large population of supernova progenitor stars. It will allow us to move beyond the crude optical classifications and develop a deeper physical und…
Natures of progenitors of type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) have not yet been clarified. There has been long and intensive discussion on whether the so-called single degenerate (SD) scenario or the double degenerate (DD) scenario, or anything else, could explain a major population of SNe Ia, but the conclusion has not yet been reached. With rapidly increasing observational data and new theoretical ideas, the field of studying the SN Ia progenitors has been quickly developing, and various new insights have been obtained in recent years. This article aims at providing a summary of the current situatio…
Over the last 15 years, the supernova community has endeavoured to identify progenitor stars of core-collapse supernovae in high resolution archival images of their galaxies.This review compiles results (from 1999 - 2013) in a distance limited sample and discusses the implications. The vast majority of the detections of progenitor stars are of type II-P, II-L or IIb with one type Ib progenitor system detected and many more upper limits for progenitors of Ibc supernovae (14). The data for these 45 supernovae progenitors illustrate a remarkable deficit of high luminosity stars above an apparent …
We study properties of early radio emission from stripped-envelope supernovae (those of type IIb/Ib/Ic). We suggest there is a sub-class of stripped-envelope supernovae in their radio properties, including optically well-studied type Ic supernovae (SNe Ic) 2002ap and 2007gr, showing a rapid rise to a radio peak within ~ 10 days reaching to a low luminosity (at least an order of magnitude fainter than a majority of SNe IIb/Ib/Ic). They show a decline after the peak shallower than others while the spectral index is similar. We show that all these properties are naturally explained if the circums…
Multi-dimensional fluid flow plays a paramount role in the explosions of massive stars as core-collapse supernovae. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) simulations of these phenomena have matured significantly. Considerable progress has been made towards identifying the ingredients for shock revival by the neutrino-driven mechanism, and successful explosions have already been obtained in a number of self-consistent 3D models. These advances also bring new challenges, however. Prompted by a need for increased physical realism and meaningful model validation, supernova theory is now moving t…
We present a first study of the progenitor star dependence of the three-dimensional (3D) neutrino mechanism of core-collapse supernovae. We employ full 3D general-relativistic multi-group neutrino radiation-hydrodynamics and simulate the post-bounce evolutions of progenitors with zero-age main sequence masses of $12$, $15$, $20$, $27$, and $40\,M_\odot$. All progenitors, with the exception of the $12\,M_\odot$ star, experience shock runaway by the end of their simulations. In most cases, a strongly asymmetric explosion will result. We find three qualitatively distinct evolutions that suggest a…
Several recently discovered peculiar type Ia supernovae seem to demand an altogether new formation theory that might help explain the puzzling dissimilarities between them and the standard type Ia supernovae. The most striking aspect of the observational analysis is the necessity of invoking super-Chandrasekhar white dwarfs having masses ~ 2.1-2.8M_sun, M_sun being the mass of Sun, as their most probable progenitors. Strongly magnetized white dwarfs having super-Chandrasekhar masses were already established to be potential candidates for the progenitors of peculiar type Ia supernovae. Owing to…
In certain mass ranges, massive stars can undergo a violent pulsation triggered by the electron/positron pair instability that ejects matter, but does not totally disrupt the star. After one or more of these pulsations, such stars are expected to undergo core-collapse to trigger a supernova explosion. The mass range susceptible to this pulsational phenomena may be as low as 50-70 Msun if the progenitor is of very low metallicity and rotating sufficiently rapidly to undergo nearly homogeneous evolution. The mass, dynamics, and composition of the matter ejected in the pulsation are important asp…
Single-degenerate (SD) binary systems composed of a white dwarf and a non-degenerate helium (He)-star companion have been proposed as the potential progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The He-star companions are expected to survive the SN Ia explosion in this SD progenitor model. In the present work, we map the surviving He-star companion models computed from our previous three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of ejecta-companion interaction into the one-dimensional stellar evolution code MESA to follow their long-term evolution to make predictions on their post-impact observation…
The explosion of ultra-stripped stars in close binaries may explain new discoveries of weak and fast optical transients. We have demonstrated that helium star companions to neutron stars (NSs) may evolve into naked metal cores as low as ~1.5 Msun, barely above the Chandrasekhar mass limit, by the time they explode. Here we present a new systematic investigation of the progenitor evolution leading to such ultra-stripped supernovae (SNe), in some cases yielding pre-SN envelopes of less than 0.01 Msun. We discuss the nature of these SNe (electron-capture vs iron core-collapse) and their observati…
Stripped-envelope supernovae (Types IIb, Ib, and Ic) that show little or no hydrogen comprise roughly one-third of the observed explosions of massive stars. Their origin and the evolution of their progenitors are not yet fully understood. Very massive single stars stripped by their own winds ($\gtrsim 25-30 M_{\odot}$ at solar metallicity) are considered viable progenitors of these events. However, recent 1D core-collapse simulations show that some massive stars may collapse directly into black holes after a failed explosion, with a weak or no visible transient. In this letter, we estimate the…
In a canonical model, the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are accreting, nuclear-burning white dwarfs (NBWDs), which explode when the white dwarf reaches the Chandrasekhar mass, M_C. Such massive NBWDs are hot (kT ~100 eV), luminous (L ~ 10^{38} erg/s), and are potentially observable as luminous supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs). During the past several years, surveys for soft X-ray sources in external galaxies have been conducted. This paper shows that the results falsify the hypothesis that a large fraction of progenitors are NBWDs which are presently observable as SSSs. The data als…
It has been suggested that Type II supernovae with rapidly fading light curves (a.k.a. Type IIL supernovae) are explosions of progenitors with low-mass hydrogen-rich envelopes which are of the order of 1 Msun. We investigate light-curve properties of supernovae from such progenitors. We confirm that such progenitors lead to rapidly fading Type II supernovae. We find that the luminosity of supernovae from such progenitors with the canonical explosion energy of 1e51 erg and 56Ni mass of 0.05 Msun can increase temporarily shortly before all the hydrogen in the envelope recombines. As a result, a …
The ejected mass distribution of type Ia supernovae directly probes progenitor evolutionary history and explosion mechanisms, with implications for their use as cosmological probes. Although the Chandrasekhar mass is a natural mass scale for the explosion of white dwarfs as type Ia supernovae, models allowing type Ia supernovae to explode at other masses have attracted much recent attention. Using an empirical relation between the ejected mass and the light curve width, we derive ejected masses $M_\mathrm{ej}$ and $^{56}$Ni masses $M_\mathrm{Ni}$ for a sample of 337 type Ia supernovae with red…
