The SN 2023ixf Progenitor in M101: I. Infrared Variability

Understand

Observational evidence points to a red supergiant (RSG) progenitor for SN 2023ixf.

• The progenitor candidate has been detected in archival images at wavelengths (>0.6 micron) where RSGs typically emit profusely.
• This object is distinctly variable in the infrared (IR).
• We characterize the variability using pre-explosion mid-IR (3.6 and 4.5 micron) Spitzer and ground-based near-IR (JHKs) archival data jointly covering 19 yr.