A precursor interpretation for the Crab supernova 1054 A.D. very early light curve

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the Crab supernova's early light curve was caused by a precursor event from a low-mass progenitor, followed by a low-luminosity supernova, challenging previous electron-capture supernova models.

Contribution

It introduces a new interpretation of the Crab supernova's early light curve as a precursor phenomenon from stellar evolution models, differing from prior assumptions.

Findings

The early bright transient matches a precursor event from low-mass progenitors.

The supernova was likely a low-luminosity event from a small iron core.

Electron-capture supernovae would have been brighter for months, inconsistent with records.

Abstract

In spite that the Crab supernova in 1054 A.D. was studied over the years, it is still not clear what type of event produced the explosion. The most detailed and reliable source of the observed light curve is recorded in the Chinese and Japanese chronicles, and suggests a quick dimming after a very bright initial peak. We shall show in this work that the Crab event can be well explained by a type of precursor, a phenomenon emerging from large supernova sampling and quite expected from Stellar Evolution considerations of low-mass progenitors. This very early bright transient is followed by the explosion itself, likely a low-luminosity supernova from ``small iron core'' type instead of an electron-capture event. The latter conclusion stems from recent simulation work, which predict that an electron-capture supernova would render the magnitude to be much brighter for $\sim 3$ months, hence visible during daytime, and would not match the Chinese records.