The Metallicity Dependence of the Minimum Mass for Core-Collapse Supernovae

TL;DR

This study investigates how the minimum stellar mass required for core-collapse supernovae varies with metallicity, revealing a minimum at low metallicity and implications for supernova rates and cosmological studies.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of metallicity dependence of the supernova progenitor mass limit using MESA stellar evolution models.

Findings

Minimum mass limit ~8.3 Msun at [Z] = -2

Mass limit ~9.5 Msun at solar metallicity

Supernova rate could be 20-25% higher at low metallicity

Abstract

Understanding the progenitors of core collapse supernovae and their population statistics is a key ingredient for many current studies in astronomy but as yet this remains elusive. Using the MESA stellar evolution code we study the dependence of the lower mass limit for making core collapse supernovae (SNe) as function of initial stellar metallicity. We find that this mass limit is smallest at approximately [Z] = -2 with a value of ~ 8.3 Msun. At [Z] = 0 the limit is ~ 9.5 Msun and continues to rise with higher metallicity. As a consequence, for a fixed initial mass function the supernova rate may be 20% to 25% higher at [Z] = -2. This affects the association of observed SN rates as a probe for the cosmological star formation rate, rate predictions for supernova surveys, and population synthesis studies.