Diversity in Hydrogen-rich Envelope Mass of Type II Supernovae. (III). The mass-loss and evolutionary pathways of the red supergiant progenitors

TL;DR

This study investigates the diversity in hydrogen-rich envelope masses of Type II supernovae progenitors, revealing complex mass-loss histories and evolutionary pathways beyond standard models through extensive modeling and spectroscopic analysis.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis linking supernova light curves and nebular spectra to progenitor envelope masses, highlighting the diversity and complexity of RSG evolution and mass-loss processes.

Findings

Most SNe II have lower envelope masses than standard wind models predict.

Binary interactions alone cannot fully explain the observed diversity in progenitor properties.

Progenitors likely have varied mass-loss histories and evolutionary pathways.

Abstract

We present a comprehensive analysis of 32 type II supernovae (SNe II) with plateau phase photometry and late phase ($nebular$) spectroscopy available, aiming to bridge the gap between the surface and core of their red supergiant (RSG) progenitors. Using \texttt{MESA}\,+\texttt{STELLA}, we compute an extensive grid of SN II light curve models originating from RSG with effective temperatures $T_{\rm eff}$ around 3650\,K and hydrogen-rich envelopes artificially stripped to varying degrees. These models are then used to derive the hydrogen-rich envelope masses $M_{\rm Henv}$ for SNe II from their plateau phase light curves. Nebular spectroscopy further constrains the progenitor RSG's luminosity log\,$L_{\rm prog}$, and is employed to remove the degeneracies in light curve modeling. The comparison between log\,$L_{\rm prog}$-$M_{\rm Henv}$ reveals that $M_{\rm Henv}$ spans a broad range at the same log\,$L_{\rm prog}$, and almost all SNe II have lower $M_{\rm Henv}$ than the prediction of the default stellar wind models. We explore alternative wind prescriptions, binary evolution models, and the possibility of more compact RSG progenitors. Although binary interaction offers a compelling explanation for the non-monotonicity and large scatter in the log\,$L_{\rm prog}$-$M_{\rm Henv}$ relation, the high occurrence rate of partially-stripped RSGs cannot be accounted for by stable binary mass transfer alone without fine-tuned orbital parameters. This highlights that, despite being the most commonly observed class of core-collapse SNe, SNe II likely originate from a variety of mass-loss histories and evolutionary pathways that are more diverse and complex than typically assumed in standard stellar evolution models.