Extremely stripped supernova reveals a silicon and sulfur formation site

Steve Schulze (), Avishay Gal-Yam, Luc Dessart, Adam A. Miller, Stan E. Woosley, Yi Yang, Mattia Bulla, Ofer Yaron, Jesper Sollerman, Alexei V. Filippenko, K-Ryan Hinds, Daniel A. Perley, Daichi Tsuna, Ragnhild Lunnan, Nikhil Sarin, Seán J. Brennan, Thomas G. Brink, Rachel J. Bruch, Ping Chen, Kaustav K. Das, Suhail Dhawan, Claes Fransson, Christoffer Fremling, Anjasha Gangopadhyay, Ido Irani, Anders Jerkstrand, Nikola Knežević, Doron Kushnir, Keiichi Maeda, Kate Maguire, Eran Ofek, Conor M. B. Omand, Yu-Jing Qin, Yashvi Sharma, Tawny Sit, Gokul P. Srinivasaragavan, Nora L. Strothjohann, Yuki Takei, Eli Waxman, Lin Yan, Yuhan Yao, WeiKang Zheng, Erez A. Zimmerman, Eric C. Bellm, Michael W. Coughlin, Frank J. Masci, Josiah Purdum, Mickaël Rigault, Avery Wold and Shrinivas R. Kulkarni
Additional contact information
Steve Schulze: Northwestern University
Avishay Gal-Yam: Weizmann Institute of Science
Luc Dessart: CNRS/Sorbonne Université
Adam A. Miller: Northwestern University
Stan E. Woosley: University of California, Santa Cruz
Yi Yang: Tsinghua University
Mattia Bulla: University of Ferrara
Ofer Yaron: Weizmann Institute of Science
Jesper Sollerman: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Alexei V. Filippenko: University of California, Berkeley
K-Ryan Hinds: Liverpool John Moores University
Daniel A. Perley: Liverpool John Moores University
Daichi Tsuna: California Institute of Technology
Ragnhild Lunnan: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Nikhil Sarin: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Seán J. Brennan: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Thomas G. Brink: University of California, Berkeley
Rachel J. Bruch: Tel Aviv University
Ping Chen: Weizmann Institute of Science
Kaustav K. Das: California Institute of Technology
Suhail Dhawan: University of Cambridge
Claes Fransson: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Christoffer Fremling: California Institute of Technology
Anjasha Gangopadhyay: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Ido Irani: Weizmann Institute of Science
Anders Jerkstrand: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Nikola Knežević: Astronomical Observatory Belgrade
Doron Kushnir: Weizmann Institute of Science
Keiichi Maeda: Kyoto University
Kate Maguire: Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Eran Ofek: Weizmann Institute of Science
Conor M. B. Omand: Liverpool John Moores University
Yu-Jing Qin: California Institute of Technology
Yashvi Sharma: California Institute of Technology
Tawny Sit: The Ohio State University
Gokul P. Srinivasaragavan: University of Maryland
Nora L. Strothjohann: Weizmann Institute of Science
Yuki Takei: The University of Tokyo
Eli Waxman: Weizmann Institute of Science
Lin Yan: California Institute of Technology
Yuhan Yao: University of California, Berkeley
WeiKang Zheng: University of California, Berkeley
Erez A. Zimmerman: Weizmann Institute of Science
Eric C. Bellm: University of Washington
Michael W. Coughlin: University of Minnesota
Frank J. Masci: California Institute of Technology
Josiah Purdum: California Institute of Technology
Mickaël Rigault: Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Enrico Fermi
Avery Wold: California Institute of Technology
Shrinivas R. Kulkarni: California Institute of Technology

Nature, 2025, vol. 644, issue 8077, 634-639

Abstract: Abstract Stars are initially powered by the fusion of hydrogen to helium. These ashes serve as fuel in a series of stages1–3, transforming massive stars into a structure of shells. These are composed of natal hydrogen on the outside and consecutively heavier compositions inside, predicted to be dominated by He, C/O, O/Ne/Mg and O/Si/S (refs. 4,5). Silicon and sulfur are fused into iron, leading to the collapse of the core and either a supernova explosion or the formation of a black hole6–9. Stripped stars, in which the outer hydrogen layer has been removed and the internal He-rich or even the C/O layer below it is exposed10, provide evidence for this shell structure and the cosmic element production mechanism it reflects. The supernova types that arise from stripped stars embedded in shells of circumstellar material (CSM) confirm this scenario11–15. However, direct evidence for the most interior shells, which are responsible for producing elements heavier than oxygen, is lacking. Here we report the discovery of the supernova (SN) 2021yfj resulting from a star stripped to its O/Si/S-rich layer. We directly observe a thick, massive Si/S-rich shell, expelled by the progenitor shortly before the supernova explosion. Exposing such an inner stellar layer is theoretically challenging and probably requires a rarely observed mass-loss mechanism. This rare supernova event reveals advanced stages of stellar evolution, forming heavier elements, including silicon, sulfur and argon, than those detected on the surface of any known class of massive stars.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09375-3

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