A Radiation-Hydrodynamic Light Curve Grid and Interpolation Framework for Stripped-Envelope Supernovae

Abstract

We present a grid of 8,148 stripped-envelope supernovae (SESNe) light curves based on radiation hydrodynamic simulations of exploding helium-star progenitors. The grid spans an ejecta-mass range representative of typical SESNe, together with broad ranges of explosion energies, radioactive nickel masses, and degrees of material mixing. We systematically investigate how these physical parameters shape the light curves and develop an interpolation-based parameter inference framework that enables the application of the model grid to observational data. Using the simulated light curves as mock observations, we assess the reliability of the widely used Arnett model. Although it reproduces the overall light-curve morphology, the inferred ejecta masses show no significant correlation with the true values. Moreover, the analytical model produces a spurious correlation between explosion energy and nickel mass, despite these parameters being independent in the underlying model grid. These results demonstrate that good light-curve fits do not necessarily imply reliable physical parameter estimates and highlight the need for physically motivated radiation hydrodynamic models in population studies of SESNe.