The origin of the possible massive black hole in the progenitor system of iPTF13bvn

Abstract

This letter complements a formation scenario of the progenitor of the supernova iPTF13bvn proposed by Hirai. Although the scenario was successful in reproducing various observational features of the explosion and pre-explosion photometry by assuming that the progenitor had a relatively large black hole (BH) companion, it lacked an explanation for the origin of the BH itself. We now explore the possible evolutionary paths towards this binary with a relatively large BH companion. We found that the BH was probably produced by a very massive star that experienced common envelope evolution. According to our mesa stellar models, the primary mass should have been ≳ 70\, M⊙ to reproduce the required remnant mass and final separation. This indicates that iPTF13bvn was likely a rare case and normal Type Ib supernovae originate from different paths.