Interacting binaries as a significant progenitor channel for Type II-P supernovae

Interacting binaries as a significant progenitor channel for Type II-P supernovae | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Interacting binaries as a significant progenitor channel for Type II-P supernovae Ning-Chen Sun, Zexi Niu, Emmanouil Zapartas, Dimitris Souropanis, and 14 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6647139/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Type II-P supernovae (SNe II-P) are the most common class of core-collapse SNe in the local Universe. While their progenitors have long been assumed to follow single-star evolution, recent theoretical studies suggest that 30–50% of all SNe II-P may instead originate from interacting binaries. These studies point to a potential paradigm shift in our understanding of this major SN class, but conclusive observational evidence still remains scarce. We propose that the possible binary origin for a SN II-P can be constrained through a combined analysis of direct progenitor detection, light-curve properties, and host environment. Applying this approach to 15 nearby SNe II-P, we identify 4 events (SN 2004A, SN 2012aw, SN 2018gj and SN 2020jfo) with likely binary origins: while the directly detected progenitors resemble those of other SNe II-P in terms of effective temperature and luminosity, they are located in old environments and/or have abnormal plateau lengths in the light curves. These characteristics are best explained if their progenitors have experienced significant binary interaction, which extends the lifetime far beyond what single-star models would predict and, under many circumstances, alters the final structure of the progenitor stars. Our results show that at least 27% of SNe II-P originate from the binary progenitor channel and robustly establish interacting binaries as a viable and significant pathway toward SNe II-P. Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Stars Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Stellar evolution Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Time-domain astronomy Physical sciences/Astronomy and planetary science/Astronomy and astrophysics/Transient astrophysical phenomena Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6647139","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":469803665,"identity":"a2af03e6-5ecd-428c-bc8b-7252c93ff007","order_by":0,"name":"Ning-Chen 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While their progenitors have long been assumed to follow single-star evolution, recent theoretical studies suggest that 30–50% of all SNe II-P may instead originate from interacting binaries. These studies point to a potential paradigm shift in our understanding of this major SN class, but conclusive observational evidence still remains scarce. We propose that the possible binary origin for a SN II-P can be constrained through a combined analysis of direct progenitor detection, light-curve properties, and host environment. Applying this approach to 15 nearby SNe II-P, we identify 4 events (SN 2004A, SN 2012aw, SN 2018gj and SN 2020jfo) with likely binary origins: while the directly detected progenitors resemble those of other SNe II-P in terms of effective temperature and luminosity, they are located in old environments and/or have abnormal plateau lengths in the light curves. These characteristics are best explained if their progenitors have experienced significant binary interaction, which extends the lifetime far beyond what single-star models would predict and, under many circumstances, alters the final structure of the progenitor stars. 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