On the progenitor of the type IIP SN 2013ej in M74

Morgan Fraser, Justyn R. Maund, Stephen J. Smartt, Rubina Kotak, Andy Lawrence, Alastair Bruce, Stefano Valenti, Fang Yuan, Stefano Benetti, Ting-Wan Chen, Avishay Gal-Yam, Cosimo Inserra, David R. Young

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We use natural seeing imaging of SN 2013ej in M74 to identify a progenitor candidate in archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) + Advanced Camera for Survey images. We find a source coincident with the supernova (SN) in the F814W filter within the total 75 mas (~3 pc astrometric uncertainty; however, the position of the progenitor candidate in contemporaneous F435W and F555W filters is significantly offset. We conclude that the 'progenitor candidate' is in fact two physically unrelated sources; a blue source which is likely unrelated to the SN, and a red source which we suggest exploded as SN 2013ej. Deep images with the same instrument on board HST taken when the SN has faded (in approximately two year's time) will allow us to accurately characterize the unrelated neighbouring source and hence determine the intrinsic flux of the progenitor in three filters.We suggest that the F814W flux is dominated by the progenitor of SN 2013ej, and assuming a bolometric correction appropriate to an M-type supergiant, we estimate that the mass of the progenitor of SN 2013ej was between 8 and 15.5M⊙.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberslt179
Pages (from-to)L56-L60
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Volume439
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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