Ultraviolet Detection of the Binary Companion to the Type IIb SN 2001ig

We present HST/WFC3 ultraviolet imaging in the F275W and F336W bands of the Type IIb SN 2001ig at an age of more than 14 years. A clear point source is detected at the site of the explosion, with m_(F275W) = 25.39 ± 0.10 and m_(F336W) = 25.88 ± 0.13 mag. Despite weak constraints on both the distance to the host galaxy NGC 7424 and the line-of-sight reddening to the supernova, this source matches the characteristics of an early B-type main-sequence star with 19,000 < T_(eff) < 22,000 K and log(L_(bol)/L⊙) = 3.92 ± 0.14. A BPASS v2.1 binary evolution model, with primary and secondary masses of 13 M⊙ and 9 M⊙, respectively, is found to simultaneously resemble, in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, both the observed location of this surviving companion, and the primary star evolutionary endpoints for other Type IIb supernovae. This same model exhibits highly variable late-stage mass loss, as expected from the behavior of the radio light curves. A Gemini/GMOS optical spectrum at an age of 6 years reveals a narrow He II λ4686 emission line, indicative of continuing interaction with a dense circumstellar medium at large radii from the progenitor. We review our findings on SN 2001ig in the context of binary evolution channels for stripped-envelope supernovae. Owing to the uncrowded nature of its environment in the ultraviolet, this study of SN 2001ig represents one of the cleanest detections to date of a surviving binary companion to a Type IIb supernova.