On the Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae

Abstract

Theory holds that a star born with an initial mass between about 8 and 140 times the mass of the Sun will end its life through the catastrophic gravitational collapse of its iron core to a neutron star or black hole. This core collapse process is thought to usually be accompanied by the ejection of the star's envelope as a supernova. This established theory is now being tested observationally, with over three dozen core-collapse supernovae having had the properties of their progenitor stars directly measured through the examination of high-resolution images taken prior to the explosion. Here I review what has been learned from these studies and briefly examine the potential impact on stellar evolution theory, the existence of "failed supernovae", and our understanding of the core-collapse explosion mechanism.

7 Pages, invited review accepted for publication by Astrophysics and Space Science (special HEDLA 2010 issue)

References in corpus (15)

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Caltech Core-Collapse Project (CCCP) Observations of Type II Supernovae: Evidence for Three Distinct Photometric Subtypes
• The Ring Nebula Around the Blue Supergiant SBW1: Pre-Explosion Snapshot of a SN 1987A Twin
• Hydrogen-rich Core Collapse Supernovae
• Supernova 2003ie Was Likely a Faint Type IIP Event
• Direct Detection of Type II-P Supernova Progenitors with the $\text{Euclid}$ and CSST Surveys