On the Progenitor and Supernova of the SN 2002cx-like Supernova 2008ge
  We present observations of supernova (SN) 2008ge, which is spectroscopically
similar to the peculiar SN 2002cx, and its pre-explosion site that indicate
that its progenitor was probably a white dwarf. NGC 1527, the host galaxy of SN
2008ge, is an S0 galaxy with no evidence of star formation or massive stars.
Astrometrically matching late-time imaging of SN 2008ge to pre-explosion HST
imaging, we constrain the luminosity of the progenitor star. Since SN 2008ge
has no indication of hydrogen or helium in its spectrum, its progenitor must
have lost its outer layers before exploding, requiring that it be a white
dwarf, a Wolf-Rayet star, or a lower-mass star in a binary system. Observations
of the host galaxy show no signs of individual massive stars, star clusters, or
H II regions at the SN position or anywhere else, making a Wolf-Rayet
progenitor unlikely. Late-time spectroscopy of SN 2008ge show strong [Fe II]
lines with large velocity widths compared to other members of this class at
similar epochs. These previously unseen features indicate that a significant
amount of the SN ejecta is Fe (presumably the result of radioactive decay of
56Ni generated in the SN), further supporting a thermonuclear explosion.
Placing the observations of SN 2008ge in the context of observations of other
objects in the class of SN, we suggest that the progenitor was most likely a
white dwarf.
