2013ApJ...762...14M

We study properties of early radio emission from stripped-envelope supernovae (SNe; those of Type IIb/Ib/Ic). We suggest there is a sub-class of stripped-envelope SNe based on their radio properties, including the optically well-studied Type Ic SNe (SNe Ic) 2002ap and 2007gr, showing a rapid rise to a radio peak within ∼10 days and reaching a low luminosity (at least an order of magnitude fainter than a majority of SNe IIb/Ib/Ic). They show a decline after the peak that is shallower than that of other stripped-envelope SNe while their spectral index is similar. We show that all these properties are naturally explained if the circumstellar material (CSM) density is low and therefore the forward shock is expanding into the CSM without deceleration. Since the forward shock velocity in this situation, as estimated from the radio properties, still records the maximum velocity of the SN ejecta following the shock breakout, observing these SNe in radio wavelengths provides new diagnostics on the nature of both the breakout and the progenitor which otherwise require a quite rapid follow-up in other wavelengths. The inferred post-shock breakout velocities of SNe Ic 2002ap and 2007gr are sub-relativistic, ∼0.3c. These are higher than that inferred for SN II 1987A, in line with suggested compact progenitors. However, these are lower than expected for a Wolf-Rayet (W-R) progenitor. It may reflect an as yet unresolved nature of the progenitors just before the explosion, and we suggest that the W-R progenitor envelopes might have been inflated which could quickly reduce the maximum ejecta velocity from the initial shock breakout velocity.