On the progenitor of the Type Ic SN 2013dk in the Antennae Galaxies

TL;DR

This study searches for the progenitor of the Type Ic supernova 2013dk in the Antennae Galaxies using pre- and post-explosion images, finding no direct progenitor detection but setting limits on possible progenitor types.

Contribution

It provides the first constraints on the progenitor of SN 2013dk, ruling out certain luminous progenitors and analyzing the local environment with high-resolution imaging.

Findings

No detectable point source at SN location in pre-explosion images.

Progenitor brightness limit set at M_F555W > -5.7.

No evidence of a young stellar cluster near the SN site.

Abstract

We report the results of our search for the progenitor candidate of SN 2013dk, a Type Ic supernova (SN) that exploded in the Antennae Galaxy system. We compare pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archival images with SN images obtained using adaptive optics at the ESO Very Large Telescope. We isolate the SN position to within 3 sigma uncertainty radius of 0.02", and show that there is no detectable point source in any of the HST filter images within the error circle. We set an upper limit to the absolute magnitude of the progenitor to be M_F555W > -5.7, which does not allow Wolf-Rayet (WR) star progenitors to be ruled out. A bright source appears 0.17" away, which is either a single bright supergiant or compact cluster, given its absolute magnitude of M_F555W=-9.02 +- 0.28 extended wings and complex environment. However, even if this is a cluster, the spatial displacement of SN 2013dk means that its membership is not assured. The strongest statement we can make is that in the immediate environment of SN 2013dk (within 10 pc or so) we find no clear evidence of either a point source coincident with the SN or a young stellar cluster that could host a massive WR progenitor.