Properties of Core Collapse Supernovae from Binary Population Synthesis

TL;DR

This study uses binary population synthesis to explore how different assumptions affect the properties and classifications of core collapse supernovae, revealing key factors influencing observed supernova rates and subtype distributions.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive simulation framework varying binary evolution parameters to better understand CCSNe populations and their spectral classifications.

Findings

Reproducing observed Type I/II ratios requires low common envelope efficiency or modified survival prescriptions.

Large uncertainties exist in mapping progenitor properties to supernova spectral types.

Models matching observed Type I/II rates predict more late-time CCSNe than standard models.

Abstract

Core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) impact many areas of astrophysics, including compact object formation and gravitational waves, but many uncertainties remain in our understanding of the evolution of their progenitors. We use the binary population synthesis code COSMIC to simulate populations of CCSNe across a wide range of metallicities and binary evolution assumptions. Our models vary the prescriptions for mass transfer stability, common envelope ejection efficiency, natal kick strength, and remnant mass-limited explodability to assess their impact on the resulting population of CCSNe. We find that reproducing the observed Type I to Type II rate requires either low common envelope efficiency or modified prescriptions for common envelope survival, highlighting the importance of stellar mergers in shaping the CCSN population. We further classify our synthetic CCSNe into subtypes and present their relative abundances using several different sets of classification criteria, highlighting the large uncertainties that persist in mapping progenitor properties to spectral classes. Finally, we present delay time distributions (DTDs) for our overall populations, separated into Type I and II, and into the full set of observed subtypes. Our DTDs show that models reproducing the observed Type I to Type II rate produce a larger fraction of late CCSNe than is expected under standard assumptions.