Mass ejection by pulsational pair instability in very massive stars and implications for luminous supernovae

TL;DR

This study models very massive, low-metallicity stars undergoing pulsational pair-instability, revealing how their mass ejections can produce luminous supernovae and superluminous transients.

Contribution

It provides detailed stellar evolution models showing mass ejection and light curves of PPI events, linking them to observed luminous supernovae.

Findings

Larger CO cores lead to longer PPI periods and more mass ejection.

Stars become Type Ic supernovae after losing surface helium.

Interaction of ejecta produces superluminous supernovae.

Abstract

Massive stars having a CO core of $\sim$40-60 M$_\odot$ experience pulsational pair-instability (PPI) after carbon-burning. This instability induces strong pulsations of the whole star and a part of outer envelope is ejected. We investigate the evolution and mass ejection of metal-poor very massive stars which experience PPI. We use stellar models with initial masses of 140, 200, and 250 M$_\odot$ and the metallicity Z=0.004. Their masses decrease to 54.09, 58.65, and 61.03 M$_\odot$ before the neon-burning owing to mass-loss and He mass fraction at the surface becomes about 20%. During the PPI period of $\sim$1-2000 yr, they experience six, four, and three pulsations, respectively. The larger CO-core model has the longer PPI period and ejects the larger amount of mass. Since almost all surface He has been lost by the pulsations, these stars become Type Ic supernovae if they explode. Light curves during the PPI stage and supernovae are investigated and are implicated in luminous supernovae. The luminosity created by the interaction of different PPI ejecta becomes $M_{\rm bol} \sim -16$ to $-20$. The interaction between the circumstellar shell ejected by PPI and the supernova ejecta can be more luminous. These luminous transients could be an origin of Type I superluminous supernovae and supernovae with precursor.