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Abstract We present supernova (SN) 2023ufx, a unique Type IIP SN with the shortest known plateau duration ( t PT ∼ 47 days), a luminous V -band peak ( M V = −18.42 ± 0.08 mag), and a rapid early decline rate ( s 1 = 3.47 ± 0.09 mag (50 days) −1 ). By comparing observed photometry to a hydrodynamic MESA+STELLA model grid, we constrain the progenitor to be a massive red supergiant with M ZAMS ∼ 19–25 M ⊙ . Independent comparisons with nebular spectral models also suggest an initial He-core mass of ∼6 M ⊙ , and thus a massive progenitor. For a Type IIP, SN 2023ufx produced an unusually high amount of nickel ( 56 Ni) ∼0.14 ± 0.02 M ⊙ , during the explosion. We find that the short plateau duration in SN 2023ufx can be explained with the presence of a small hydrogen envelope ( M H env ∼ 1.2 M ⊙ ), suggesting partial stripping of the progenitor. About ∼0.09 M ⊙ of circumstellar material through mass loss from late-time stellar evolution of the progenitor is needed to fit the early time (≲10 days) pseudo-bolometric light curve. Nebular line diagnostics of broad and multipeak components of O i λλ 6300, 6364, H α , and Ca ii λλ 7291, 7323 suggest that the explosion of SN 2023ufx could be inherently asymmetric, preferentially ejecting material along our line of sight.
Ravi et al. (Tue,) studied this question.