Constraints on core-collapse supernova progenitors from explosion site
  integral field spectroscopy
  Observationally, supernovae (SNe) are divided into subclasses pertaining to
their distinct characteristics. This diversity reflects the diversity in the
progenitor stars. It is not entirely clear how different evolutionary paths
leading massive stars to become a SN are governed by fundamental parameters
such as progenitor initial mass and metallicity. This paper places constraints
on progenitor initial mass and metallicity in distinct core-collapse SN
subclasses, through a study of the parent stellar populations at the explosion
sites. Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) of 83 nearby SN explosion sites with a
median distance of 18 Mpc has been collected and analysed, enabling detection
and spectral extraction of the parent stellar population of SN progenitors.
From the parent stellar population spectrum, the initial mass and metallicity
of the coeval progenitor are derived by means of comparison to simple stellar
population models and strong-line methods. Additionally, near-infrared IFS was
employed to characterise the star formation history at the explosion sites. No
significant metallicity differences are observed among distinct SN types. The
typical progenitor mass is found to be highest for SN Ic, followed by type Ib,
then types IIb and II. SN IIn is the least associated with young stellar
populations and thus massive progenitors. However, statistically significant
differences in progenitor initial mass are observed only when comparing SNe IIn
with other subclasses. Stripped-envelope SN progenitors with initial mass
estimate lower than 25~$M_\odot$ are found; these are thought to be the result
of binary progenitors. Confirming previous studies, these results support the
notion that core-collapse SN progenitors cannot arise from single-star channel
only, and both single and binary channels are at play in the production of
core-collapse SNe. [ABRIDGED]
