To Explode or Not Explode? An Analysis of the Explodability of Binary and Single Stars

Abstract Most massive stars in our universe are born in binary systems, and yet their fates are quite uncertain, due to a poor understanding of their evolution. It is well known, however, that the density profile of a collapsing core, particularly at the interface between silicon and oxygen shells, is important when determining the explodability of a star. While this has been studied for single stars, it has been rarely studied for binary stars. In this note, we explore the explodability of single and binary stars using self-consistent supernova simulations. We study the differences in the silicon–oxygen interface and compactness of the progenitor stars and how they affect the explodability. We find that binary-stripped stars with initial masses above 37 M ⊙ are not as explodable as their single-star counterparts.