# Comparison of the optical light curves of hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-poor type II supernovae

## TL;DR

This study compares optical light curves of hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-poor Type II supernovae to determine if they form a continuum or are distinct, finding clear observational differences that support their classification as separate families.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of 95 supernovae, establishing observational parameters that distinctly separate SNe II and SNe IIb, confirming they are two separate supernova classes.

## Key findings

- Light curve parameters distinctly separate SNe II and SNe IIb.
- No observational evidence for a continuum between the two types.
- Specific thresholds in rise time and post-maximum decline differentiate the types.

## Abstract

Type II supernovae (SNe II) show strong hydrogen features in their spectra throughout their whole evolution while type IIb supernovae (SNe IIb) spectra evolve from dominant hydrogen lines at early times to increasingly strong helium features later on. However, it is currently unclear whether the progenitors of these supernova (SN) types form a continuum in pre-SN hydrogen mass or whether they are physically distinct. SN light-curve morphology directly relates to progenitor and explosion properties such as the amount of hydrogen in the envelope, the pre-SN radius, the explosion energy and the synthesized mass of radioactive material. In this work we study the morphology of the optical-wavelength light curves of hydrogen-rich SNe II and hydrogen-poor SNe IIb to test whether an observational continuum exists between the two. Using a sample of 95 SNe (73 SNe II and 22 SNe IIb), we define a range of key observational parameters and present a comparative analysis between both types. We find a lack of events that bridge the observed properties of SNe II and SNe IIb. Light curve parameters such as rise times and post-maximum decline rates and curvatures clearly separate both SN types and we therefore conclude that there is no continuum, with the two SN types forming two observationally distinct families. In the V-band a rise time of 17 days (SNe II lower, SNe IIb higher), and a magnitude difference between 30 and 40 days post explosion of 0.4 mag (SNe II lower, SNe IIb higher) serve as approximate thresholds to differentiate both types.