Kavli Affiliate: Shunsaku Horiuchi
| First 5 Authors: Sarah Healy, Shunsaku Horiuchi, Chris Ashall, ,
| Summary:
The red supergiant (RSG) problem, which describes the apparent lack of
high-luminosity progenitors detected in Type II supernova (SN) pre-images, has
been a contentious topic for two decades. We re-assess this problem using a new
RSG population of the Milky Way supplemented with RSGs from other galaxies in
the Local Group. In particular, we quantify the uncertainties inherent to
assumptions made regarding the star’s temperature or spectral type and the
corresponding bolometric correction. We find that only M3 or later RSGs
reproduce the steepness seen from the SN II pre-imaged sample. To assess the
significance of the RSG problem, we build a metallicity-weighted cumulative
luminosity distribution of M3 or later RSGs and directly compare it to the
luminosity distribution of SN II pre-imaged progenitors. We find no evidence of
missing high-luminosity pre-imaged progenitors since the uncertainties on the
pre-imaged SN progenitors and single-band derived luminosity are too large to
meaningfully infer population differences.
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