Type Ib Supernovae are bluer than Type Ic Supernovae

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jin, Harim, de Mink, Selma E., Holzner, Sebastian, Klencki, Jakub, Csörnyei, Géza, Yoon, Sung-Chul, Arcavi, Iair, Kerzendorf, Wolfgang E.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Jin, Harim
de Mink, Selma E.
Holzner, Sebastian
Klencki, Jakub
Csörnyei, Géza
Yoon, Sung-Chul
Arcavi, Iair
Kerzendorf, Wolfgang E.
author_facet Jin, Harim
de Mink, Selma E.
Holzner, Sebastian
Klencki, Jakub
Csörnyei, Géza
Yoon, Sung-Chul
Arcavi, Iair
Kerzendorf, Wolfgang E.
contents Type Ib and Ic supernovae (SNe Ib/Ic) are the bright finale of massive stars that have lost their hydrogen envelopes, making them powerful probes of mass stripping in massive star evolution. The advent of modern large photometric and spectroscopic surveys presents the unique opportunity to investigate systematic differences between these two kinds of SNe. In this study, we analyze a large, homogeneous sample of SNe Ib/Ic light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility. We find a systematic difference in their optical colors: SNe Ib are, on average, bluer than SNe Ic at a statistically significant level. This difference appears intrinsic, likely reflecting progenitors with different degrees of stripping -- helium-rich for SNe Ib and helium-poor for SNe Ic. In addition, we find that SNe Ib/Ic with narrow lines (SNe Ibn/Icn) are bluer than those without, which might originate from circumstellar matter interaction, with potential connection to fast blue optical transients. We demonstrate that SN colors offer a promising probe of mass stripping in massive stars, potentially providing a useful tool for analyzing large photometric data and improving predictions for the final outcomes of stripped massive stars.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_01200
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Type Ib Supernovae are bluer than Type Ic Supernovae
Jin, Harim
de Mink, Selma E.
Holzner, Sebastian
Klencki, Jakub
Csörnyei, Géza
Yoon, Sung-Chul
Arcavi, Iair
Kerzendorf, Wolfgang E.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Type Ib and Ic supernovae (SNe Ib/Ic) are the bright finale of massive stars that have lost their hydrogen envelopes, making them powerful probes of mass stripping in massive star evolution. The advent of modern large photometric and spectroscopic surveys presents the unique opportunity to investigate systematic differences between these two kinds of SNe. In this study, we analyze a large, homogeneous sample of SNe Ib/Ic light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility. We find a systematic difference in their optical colors: SNe Ib are, on average, bluer than SNe Ic at a statistically significant level. This difference appears intrinsic, likely reflecting progenitors with different degrees of stripping -- helium-rich for SNe Ib and helium-poor for SNe Ic. In addition, we find that SNe Ib/Ic with narrow lines (SNe Ibn/Icn) are bluer than those without, which might originate from circumstellar matter interaction, with potential connection to fast blue optical transients. We demonstrate that SN colors offer a promising probe of mass stripping in massive stars, potentially providing a useful tool for analyzing large photometric data and improving predictions for the final outcomes of stripped massive stars.
title Type Ib Supernovae are bluer than Type Ic Supernovae
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.01200