SN 1987A and SN 1993J: Testing Stellar Evolution Theory?

Abstract

Nearby supernovae like SN 1987A and SN 1993J provide valuable constraints on the late evolution of massive stars. For this purpose, we review evolutionary models for the progenitor of SN 1987A and confront them with five observational/theoretical tests we devised. We show that single-star models (with the possible exception of rapid-rotation models) fail at least two of these tests, while two binary models (accretion and merger models) are consistent with all available constraints. We conclude that it is most likely that the progenitor of SN 1987A had a binary companion, either at the time of the explosion or at least in the not-too-distant past, and that SN 1987A should therefore not be used to calibrate single stellar evolution theory. For SN 1993J, we infer from the presupernova photometry and the early light curve that its progenitor was a ∼ 15 M⊙ star that lost almost all of its hydrogen-rich envelope prior to the supernova. This seems to require that the progenitor underwent stable case C mass transfer. We discuss future observational tests of binary models for both supernovae.