Related papers: Progenitor, environment, and modelling of the inte…
We present progenitor-star detections, light curves, and optical spectra of SN2009ip and the 2009 optical transient in UGC2773 (U2773-OT), which were not genuine SNe. Precursor variability in the decade before outburst indicates that both…
Stellar winds blown out from massive stars ($\gtrsim 10M_{\odot}$) contain precious information on the progenitor itself, and in this context, the most important elements are carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O), which are produced by…
Recent evidence of a young progenitor population for many Type-Ia SNe (SNe-Ia) raises the possibility that evolved intermediate-mass progenitor stars may be detected in pre-explosion images. NGC 1316, a radio galaxy in the Fornax cluster,…
We perform binary stellar evolutionary calculations following the simultaneous evolution of both stars in the system to study a potential progenitor system for the Type IIb supernova 2011dh. Pre-explosion photometry as well as light-curve…
Hubble Space Telescope observations of the site of the supernova (SN) 2008ax obtained in 2011 and 2013 reveal that the possible progenitor object detected in pre-explosion images was in fact multiple. Four point sources are resolved in the…
Type IIb supernovae (SNe) present a unique opportunity for understanding the progenitors of stripped-envelope (SE) SNe as the stellar progenitor of several Type IIb SNe have been identified in pre-explosion images. In this paper, we use…
We identify the progenitor star of SN 2023ixf in the nearby galaxy Messier 101 using Keck/NIRC2 adaptive optics imaging and pre-explosion HST/ACS images. The supernova position, localized with diffraction-spike pattern and high precision…
The fast-rising blue optical transient AT2018cow indicated unusual early phase characteristics unlike relatively better studied explosive transients. Its afterglow may be produced by either a relativistically beamed (jetted) or…
The progenitor system of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is expected to be a close binary system of a carbon/oxygen white dwarf (WD) and a non-degenerate star or another WD. Here, we present results from a high-cadence monitoring observation of…
We present a pan-chromatic study of AT2017bcc, a nuclear transient that was discovered in 2017 within the skymap of a reported burst-like gravitational wave candidate, G274296. It was initially classified as a superluminous supernova, and…
Previous studies of type IIP supernovae have inferred that progenitor masses recovered from hydrodynamic models are higher than 15 Msun. To verify the progenitor mass of this supernova category, we attempt a parameter determination of the…
The recent detection of a transient absorption feature in the prompt emission of GRB 990705 has sparked multiple attempts to fit this feature in terms of photoelectric absorption or resonance scattering out of the line of sight to the…
Observational evidence points to a red supergiant (RSG) progenitor for SN 2023ixf. The progenitor candidate has been detected in archival images at wavelengths (>0.6 micron) where RSGs typically emit profusely. This object is distinctly…
We present the first photometric analysis of the supernova (SN) impostor AT 2016blu in NGC 4559. This transient was discovered by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search in 2012 and has continued its outbursts since then. Optical and infrared…
One of the key observables for determining the progenitor nature of Type Ia supernovae is provided by their immediate circumstellar medium, which according to several models should be shaped by the progenitor binary system. So far, X-ray…
Searching for the presence of circumstellar material is currently the only direct way to discriminate between the different types of possible progenitor systems for Type Ia supernovae. We have therefore looked for narrow H-alpha in a…
We present an alternative technique for measuring the precursor masses of transient events in stars undergoing late stage stellar evolution. We use the well-established techniques of stellar population modeling to age-date the stars…
Current explanations of the mass-loss mechanism for stripped-envelope supernovae remain divided between single and binary progenitor systems. Here we obtain deep ultraviolet (UV) imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of the Type Ic…
Current population synthesis modeling suggests that 30-50% of Type II supernovae originate from binary progenitors, however, the identification of a binary progenitor is challenging. One indicator of a binary progenitor is that the…
We consider models for gamma-ray bursts in which a collimated jet expands either into a homogeneous medium or into a stellar wind environment, and calculate the expected afterglow temporal behavior. We show that (i) following a break and a…