2010ApJ...723L..89U

The unusually bright type IIP supernova (SN) 2009kf is studied employing hydrodynamic modeling. We derived optimal values of the ejecta mass of 28.1 M_☉, explosion energy of 2.2x10⁵² erg, and presupernova radius of 2x10³ R_☉ assuming that ⁵⁶Ni mass is equal to the upper limit of 0.4 M_☉. We analyzed effects of the uncertainties in the extinction and ⁵⁶Ni mass and concluded that both the ejecta mass and explosion energy cannot be significantly reduced compared with the optimal values. The huge explosion energy of SN 2009kf indicates that the explosion is caused by the same mechanism which operates in energetic SNe Ibc (hypernovae), i.e., via a rapid disk accretion onto black hole. The ejecta mass combined with the black hole mass and the mass lost by stellar wind yields the progenitor mass of about 36 M_☉. We propose a scenario in which massive binary evolution might result in the SN 2009kf event.