The type IIb SN 2008ax: the nature of the progenitor

TL;DR

This paper investigates the progenitor of supernova 2008ax by analyzing pre-explosion HST data, proposing two possible progenitor scenarios, and emphasizing the need for further observations and modeling to determine the true origin.

Contribution

It presents the first identification of a potential progenitor for SN 2008ax and constrains two possible progenitor systems using pre-explosion imaging.

Findings

Possible progenitor is a single massive star or an interacting binary.

Pre-explosion images show a source coincident with SN 2008ax.

Further observations are needed to confirm the progenitor's nature.

Abstract

A source coincident with the position of the type IIb supernova (SN) 2008ax is identified in pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations in three optical filters. We identify and constrain two possible progenitor systems: (i) a single massive star that lost most of its hydrogen envelope through radiatively driven mass loss processes, prior to exploding as a helium-rich Wolf-Rayet star with a residual hydrogen envelope, and (ii) an interacting binary in a low mass cluster producing a stripped progenitor. Late time, high resolution observations along with detailed modelling of the SN will be required to reveal the true nature of this progenitor star.