The lowest-metallicity type II supernova from the highest-mass red supergiant progenitor



: Anderson P, Dessart L, Gutierrez CP, Kruhler T, Galbany L, Jerkstrand A, Smartt SJ, Contreras C, Morrell N, Phillips MM, Stritzinger MD, Hsiao EY, Gonzalez-Gaitan S, Agliozzo C, Castellon S, Chambers KC, Chen TW, Flewelling H, Gonzalez C, Hosseinzadeh G, Huber M, Fraser M, Inserra C, Kankare E, Mattila S, Magnier E, Maguire K, Lowe TB, Sollerman J, Sullivan M, Young DR, Valenti S

Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

: 2018

: Nature Astronomy

: NATURE ASTRONOMY

: NAT ASTRON

: 2

: 7

: 574

: 579

: 6

: 2397-3366

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-018-0458-4

: https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.04434


Red supergiants have been confirmed as the progenitor stars of the majority of hydrogen-rich type II supernovae(1). However, while such stars are observed with masses > 25 M-circle dot (ref. (2)), detections of > 18 M-circle dot progenitors remain elusive(1). Red supergiants are also expected to form at all metallicities, but discoveries of explosions from low-metallicity progenitors are scarce. Here, we report observations of the type II supernova, SN 2015bs, for which we infer a progenitor metallicity of <= 0.1 Z(circle dot) from comparison to photospheric-phase spectral models(3), and a zero-age main-sequence mass of 17-25 M-circle dot through comparison to nebular-phase spectral models(4,5). SN 2015bs displays a normal 'plateau' light-curve morphology, and typical spectral properties, implying a red supergiant progenitor. This is the first example of such a high-mass progenitor for a 'normal' type II supernova, suggesting a link between high-mass red supergiant explosions and low-metallicity progenitors.

Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 20:25