The Search for Failed Supernovae with the Large Binocular Telescope: Constraints from 7 Years of Data

Understand

We report updated results for the first 7 years of our program to monitor 27 galaxies within 10 Mpc using the Large Binocular Telescope to search for failed supernovae (SNe) -- core-collapses of massive stars that form black holes without luminous supernovae.

• In the new data, we identify no new compelling candidates and confirm the existing candidate.
• Given the 6 successful core-collapse SNe in the sample and one likely failed SN, the implied fraction of core-collapses that result in failed SNe is $f = 0.14^{+0.33}_{-0.10}$ at 90% confidence.
• If the current candidate is a failed SN, the fraction of failed SN naturally explains the missing high-mass red supergiant SN progenitors and the black hole mass function.