A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Peculiar SN Ic 2022esa: An explosion of a massive Wolf–Rayet star in a binary as a precursor to a BH–BH binary?




AuthorsMaeda, Keiichi; Kuncarayakti, Hanindyo; Nagao, Takashi; Kawabata, Miho; Taguchi, Kenta; Uno, Kohki; De, Kishalay

PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)

Publication year2026

Journal: Publications- Astronomical Society of Japan

Article numberpsaf140

ISSN0004-6264

eISSN2053-051X

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1093/pasj/psaf140

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1093/pasj/psaf140

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508378406

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

A class of supernovae (SNe) called SN Ic-CSM are characterized by late-time emergence of narrow emission lines of elements formed in the oxygen core of a massive star. A popular scenario is the interaction of the SN ejecta and O-rich circumstellar medium (CSM), i.e., circumstellar interaction (CSI). Uncovering the progenitor system of SNe Ic-CSM plays a critical role in understanding the final evolution of a massive star to a bare C+O star. In this letter, we present observations of SN 2022esa, which we show is an SN Ic-CSM. Surprisingly, a stable periodicity of ~32 d is found in its light-curve evolution with a hint of a slowly increasing period over ~200 d. We argue that the main power source is likely the interaction of the SN ejecta and O-rich CSM, while the energy input by the post-SN eccentric binary interaction within the SN ejecta is another possibility. In either case, we propose a massive Wolf–Rayet (WR) star as the progenitor, in a WR–WR or WR–BH (black hole) binary that will eventually evolve to a BH–BH binary. Specifically, in the CSI scenario, the progenitor system is an eccentric binary system with an orbital period of about a year, leading to the observed periodicity through the modulation in the CSM density structure. We also show that some other objects, superluminous SN I 2018ibb (a pair-instability SN candidate) and peculiar SN Ic 2022jli (the first example showing stable periodic modulation), show observational similarities to SNe Ic-CSM and may be categorized as SN Ic-CSM variants. Complemented with a large diversity in their light-curve evolution, we propose that SNe Ic-CSM (potentially linked to SNe Ibn/Icn) are a mixture of multiple channels that cover a range of properties in the progenitor star, the binary companion, and the binary orbit.


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Funding information in the publication
KM acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI grants (JP24KK0070, JP24H01810, JP24K00682, and JP20H00174). HK was funded by the Research Council of Finland projects 324504, 328898, and 353019. The work is partly supported by the JSPS Open Partnership Bilateral Joint Research Projects between Japan and Finland (KM and HK; JPJSBP120229923).


Last updated on 21/01/2026 09:51:13 AM