e-MERLIN and VLBI observations of the luminous infrared galaxy IC883: a
  nuclear starburst and an AGN candidate revealed
  The high star formation rates of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) make them
ideal places for core-collapse supernova (CCSN) searches. At radio frequencies,
free from dust extinction, it is possible to detect compact components within
the innermost LIRG nuclear regions, such as SNe and SN remnants, as well as AGN
buried deep in the LIRG nuclei. We studied the LIRG IC883 aiming at: (i)
investigating its (circum-)nuclear regions using the e-EVN at 5GHz, and
e-MERLIN at 6.9GHz, complemented by archival VLBI data; (ii) detecting at radio
frequencies the two recently reported circumnuclear SNe 2010cu and 2011hi,
which were discovered by near-IR (NIR) adaptive optics observations of IC883;
and (iii) further investigating the nature of SN2011hi at NIR by means of
observations with Gemini-North. The circumnuclear regions traced by e-MERLIN at
6.9GHz have an extension of ~1kpc, and show a striking double-sided structure,
which very likely corresponds to a warped rotating ring, in agreement with
previous studies. Our e-EVN observations at 5GHz and complementary archival
VLBI data at 5GHz and 8.4GHz, reveal the presence of various milliarcsec
compact components in the nucleus of IC883. A single compact source, an AGN
candidate, dominates the emission at both nuclear and circumnuclear scales, as
imaged with the e-EVN and e-MERLIN, respectively. The other milliarcsec
components are very suggestive of ongoing nuclear CCSN activity. Our e-EVN
observations also resulted in upper limits to the radio luminosity of the two
SNe in IC883 recently discovered at NIR. We refine the classification of
SN2011hi as a Type IIP SN according to our latest Gemini-North epoch from 2012,
in agreement with a low-luminosity radio SN nature. We estimate a CCSN rate
lower limit of 1.1_{-0.6}^{+1.3} yr^{-1} for the entire galaxy, based on three
nuclear radio SNe and the circumnuclear SNe 2010cu and 2011hi. (abridged)
