A Potential Progenitor for the Type Ic Supernova 2017ein

Understand

We report the first detection of a credible progenitor system for a Type Ic supernova (SN Ic), SN 2017ein.

• We present spectra and photometry of the SN, finding it to be similar to carbon-rich, low-luminosity SNe Ic.
• Using a post-explosion Keck adaptive optics image, we precisely determine the position of SN 2017ein in pre-explosion \hst\ images, finding a single source coincident with the SN position.
• This source is marginally extended, and is consistent with being a stellar cluster.