A Cool and Inflated Progenitor Candidate for the Type Ib Supernova 2019yvr at 2.6 Years Before Explosion

Understand

We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging of a pre-explosion counterpart to SN 2019yvr obtained 2.6 years before its explosion as a type Ib supernova (SN Ib).

• Aligning to a post-explosion Gemini-S/GSAOI image, we demonstrate that there is a single source consistent with being the SN 2019yvr progenitor system, the second SN Ib progenitor candidate after iPTF13bvn.
• We also analyzed pre-explosion Spitzer/IRAC imaging, but we do not detect any counterparts at the SN location.
• SN 2019yvr was highly reddened, and comparing its spectra and photometry to those of other, less extinguished SNe Ib we derive $E(B-V)=0.51\substack{+0.27\\-0.16}$ mag for SN 2019yvr.