Light Curves of Core-Collapse Supernovae with Substantial Mass Loss using the New Open-Source SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC)

Abstract

We present the SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC), an open-source Lagrangian code for the hydrodynamics and equilibrium-diffusion radiation transport in the expanding envelopes of supernovae. Given a model of a progenitor star, an explosion energy, and an amount and distribution of radioactive nickel, SNEC generates the bolometric light curve, as well as the light curves in different wavelength bands assuming black body emission. As a first application of SNEC, we consider the explosions of a grid of 15 M_⊙ (at zero-age main sequence) stars whose hydrogen envelopes are stripped to different extents and at different points in their evolution. The resulting light curves exhibit plateaus with durations of ∼20 − 100 days if & 1.5 − 2 M_⊙ of hydrogen-rich material is left and no plateau if less hydrogen-rich material is left. The shorter plateau lengths are unlike the Type IIP supernova light curves typically observed in nature. This suggests that, at least for zero-age main sequence masses . 20 M_⊙, hydrogen mass loss occurs as an all or nothing process, perhaps pointing to the important role binary interactions play in observed mass-stripped supernovae (i.e., Type Ib/c events). These light curves are also unlike what is typically seen for Type IIL supernovae, arguing that simply varying the amount of mass loss cannot explain these events. The most stripped models begin to show double-peaked light curves similar to what is often seen for Type IIb supernovae, confirming previous work that these supernovae can come from progenitors that have a small amount of hydrogen and a radius of ∼ 500 R_⊙.