A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Giant outbursts of clumpy material preceding Type II supernova 2024qiw
Authors: Nagao, T.; Kuncarayakti, H.; Maeda, K.; Mattila, S.; Kotak, R.; Killestein, T.; Humina, C.; Steeghs, D.; Jarvis, D.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Article number: A294
Volume: 708
ISSN: 0004-6361
eISSN: 1432-0746
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558402
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558402
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/523330819
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Observations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) suggest that some massive stars undergo intense mass loss shortly before explosion, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we report evidence of giant outbursts of clumpy material from a massive star in the final decades before explosion. Photometric, spectroscopic, and polarimetric data of SN 2024qiw reveal a bumpy light curve, a broad Hα profile, and variable polarization, all consistent with interactions taking place between SN ejecta and clumpy circumstellar material, implying a mass-loss rate of ≳10−2 M⊙ yr−1. Taken together, the most likely explanation is multiple major eruptions, similar to those of luminous blue variables (LBVs), but occurring shortly before explosion. This challenges standard stellar evolution theory by requiring either that LBVs explode terminally or that other evolutionary phases produce eruptive episodes. In spite of very high pre-SN mass loss, the resulting SN is classed as Type II, rather than Type IIn, highlighting diverse and previously unrecognized late-stage mass-loss processes.
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Funding information in the publication:
The Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) project acknowledges support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC, grant numbers ST/T007184/1, ST/T003103/1, ST/T000406/1, ST/X001121/1 and ST/Z000165/1) and the GOTO consortium institutions; University of Warwick; Monash University; University of Sheffield; University of Leicester; Armagh Observatory & Planetarium; the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT); University of Manchester; Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC); University of Portsmouth; University of Turku. T.N. and H.K. acknowledge support from the Research Council of Finland projects 324504, 328898, 340613, and 353019. K.M. acknowledges support from JSPS KAKENHI grant (JP24KK0070, JP24H01810) and the JSPS Open Partnership Bilateral Joint Research Projects between Japan and Finland (JPJSBP120229923). S.M. acknowledges support from the Research Council of Finland project 350458. T.L.K. acknowledges a Warwick Astrophysics prize post-doctoral fellowship, made possible thanks to a generous philanthropic donation. D.S. acknowledges support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council through grant numbers ST/T007184/1, ST/T003103/1, and ST/T000406/1.
