Diversity of stripped-envelope supernova light curves from interaction with binary-driven circumstellar material

Abstract

A growing number of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) exhibit diverse light-curve morphologies that indicate strong interaction with dense, pre-existing circumstellar material (CSM). Understanding the physical origin of such CSM is essential for exploring the late-stage evolution of SN progenitors. Non-conservative mass transfer during binary interactions provides a promising channel for producing dense CSM before core collapse. Using the stellar evolution code MESA, we simulate post-common-envelope binaries that give rise to ultra-stripped progenitors and self-consistently construct the CSM from mass loss during binary evolution. We further analytically predict the resulting bolometric and radio light curves by following the shock dynamics of SN ejecta interacting with the CSM. We find that surface-radius variations in the ultra-stripped progenitors trigger multiple episodes of mass transfer and produce diverse CSM density profiles, including detached shells and multi-peaked structures. Interaction with such CSM gives rise to non-monotonic, multi-peaked optical and radio light curves that qualitatively resemble features observed in some stripped-envelope SNe. Long-term multi-wavelength monitoring of stripped-envelope SN candidates, particularly at late times, will be crucial for probing structured CSM and constraining the mass-loss history of stripped progenitors. Our results suggest that SN-CSM interaction in binaries hosting ultra-stripped progenitors provides a possible channel for producing diverse light-curve morphologies, highlighting a potential connection between the pre-SN evolution of massive binary stars and the diversity of their explosive transients.