Massive binaries, Wolf-Rayet stars and supernova progenitors

Abstract

Binary stars are important for a full understanding of stellar evolution. We present a summary of how predictions of the relative supernova rates varies between single and binary stars. We also show how the parameter space of different supernova types differs between single and binary stars. We then consider an important question of how to infer a supernova progenitor's properties from pre-explosion imaging and present rescent work of producing synthe tic colours for our stellar models to make a direct comparison with any detections or limits obtained on supernova progentiors from pre-explosion images.