The Disappearance of the Progenitors of Supernovae 1993J and 2003gd

TL;DR

This study confirms the disappearance of progenitors of two supernovae, SN 1993J and SN 2003gd, using HST and Gemini images, supporting that they originated from Red Supergiants.

Contribution

It provides direct observational evidence of supernova progenitors disappearing, confirming their nature as Red Supergiants, and distinguishes binary companions in one case.

Findings

Progenitor of SN 2003gd is no longer observed.

Progenitor of SN 1993J has disappeared, but its binary companion remains.

Supports the theory that these supernovae originated from Red Supergiants.

Abstract

Using images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Gemini Telescope we confirm the disappearance of the progenitors of two Type II supernovae (SNe), and evaluate the presence of other stars associated with them. We find that the progenitor of SN 2003gd, an M-supergiant star, is no longer observed at the SN location, and determine its intrinsic brightness using image subtraction techniques. The progenitor of SN 1993J, a K-supergiant star, is also no longer present, but its B-supergiant binary companion is still observed. The disappearance of the progenitors confirms that these two SNe were produced by Red Supergiants.