Formation pathway for lonely stripped-envelope supernova progenitors: implications for Cassiopeia A

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new binary evolution scenario where a supernova's impact strips the envelope of the secondary star, potentially explaining certain supernova remnants like Cassiopeia A and predicting a low occurrence rate.

Contribution

It introduces a novel formation pathway for stripped-envelope supernova progenitors involving supernova impact on a binary companion, supported by hydrodynamical simulations.

Findings

50-90% of the envelope can be unbound during impact

Recombination energy significantly aids in unbinding the envelope

More than half of the unbound mass forms a shell 10-100pc away from the supernova

Abstract

We explore a new scenario for producing stripped-envelope supernova progenitors. In our scenario, the stripped-envelope supernova is the second supernova of the binary, in which the envelope of the secondary was removed during its red supergiant phase by the impact of the first supernova. Through 2D hydrodynamical simulations, we find that $\sim$50-90$\%$ of the envelope can be unbound as long as the pre-supernova orbital separation is $\lesssim5$ times the stellar radius. Recombination energy plays a significant role in the unbinding, especially for relatively high mass systems ($\gtrsim18M_\odot$). We predict that more than half of the unbound mass should be distributed as a one-sided shell at about $\sim$10-100pc away from the second supernova site. We discuss possible applications to known supernova remnants such as Cassiopeia A, RX J1713.7-3946, G11.2-0.3, and find promising agreements. The predicted rate is $\sim$0.35-1$\%$ of the core-collapse population. This new scenario could be a major channel for the subclass of stripped-envelope or type IIL supernovae that lack companion detections like Cassiopeia A.