Related papers: The red supergiant and supernova rate problems: im…
There are a growing number of nearby SNe for which the progenitor star is detected in archival pre-explosion imaging. From these images it is possible to measure the progenitor's brightness a few years before explosion, and ultimately…
We investigate the red supergiant problem: the apparent dearth of Type IIP supernova progenitors with masses between 16 and 30 M_sun. Although red supergiants with masses in this range have been observed, none have been identified as…
The inevitable fate of massive stars in the initial mass range of ~8--30 M_{Sun} in the red supergiant (RSG) phase is a core-collapse supernova (SN) explosion, although some stars may collapse directly to a black hole. We know that this is…
We present the results of a 10.5 yr, volume limited (28 Mpc) search for supernova (SN) progenitor stars. We compile all SNe discovered within this volume (132, of which 27% are type Ia) and determine the relative rates of each sub-type from…
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…
The red supergiant (RSG) problem refers to the observed dearth of luminous RSGs identified as progenitors of Type II supernovae (SNe II) in pre-SN imaging. Understanding this phenomenon is essential for studying pre-SN mass loss and the…
Knowledge of the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae is a fundamental component in understanding the explosions. The recent progress in finding such stars is reviewed. The minimum initial mass that can produce a supernova has converged…
One explanation for the absence of higher mass red supergiants (16.5 Msun < M < 25Msun) as the progenitors of Type IIP supernovae (SNe) is that they die in failed SNe creating black holes. Simulations show that such failed SNe still eject…
Recent observational studies of core-collapse supernovae suggest only stars with zero-age main sequence masses smaller than $16$-$18\ M_\odot$ explode when they are red supergiants, producing type IIP supernovae. This may imply that more…
We identify a "supernova rate problem": the measured cosmic core-collapse supernova rate is a factor of ~ 2 smaller (with significance ~ 2 sigma) than that predicted from the measured cosmic massive-star formation rate. The comparison is…
In the first weeks-to-months of a type II-P supernova (SN), the spectrum formation region is within the hydrogen-rich envelope of the exploding star. Optical spectra taken within a few days of the SN explosion, when the photosphere is hot,…
By comparing the properties of Red Supergiant (RSG) supernova progenitors to those of field RSGs, it has been claimed that there is an absence of progenitors with luminosities $L$ above $\log(L/L_\odot) > 5.2$. This is in tension with the…
The masses and the evolutionary states of the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae are not well constrained by direct observations. Stellar evolution theory generally predicts that massive stars with initial masses less than about…
The progenitors of core-collapse supernovae are stars with an initial mass greater than about 8M(sun). Understanding the evolution of these stars is necessary to comprehend the evolution and differences between supernovae. We have…
The red supergiant (RSG) problem, which describes the apparent lack of high-luminosity progenitors detected in Type II supernova (SN) pre-images, has been a contentious topic for two decades. We re-assess this problem using a new RSG…
It has been suggested that whether a star explodes or not, and what kind of explosion properties it shows, is strongly dependent on the progenitor's core structure. We present the results from 101 axisymmetric core-collapse supernova…
We model the observed black hole mass function under the assumption that black hole formation is controlled by the compactness of the stellar core at the time of collapse. Low compactness stars are more likely to explode as supernovae and…
Recent studies on direct imaging of Type II core-collapse supernova progenitors indicate a possible threshold around $M_{\rm ZAMS}\sim 16-20$ M$_\odot$, where red supergiants with larger birth masses do not appear to result in supernova…
We suggest the future detection of neutrinos from a Galactic core-collapse supernova can be used to infer the progenitor's inner mass density structure. We present the results from 20 axisymmetric core-collapse supernova simulations…
The current generation of millimeter interferometers have revealed a population of compact (r <~ 0.1 pc), massive (M ~ 100 Msun) gas cores that are the likely progenitors of massive stars. I review models for the evolution of these objects…