Comparing Spectropolarimetric Signatures of Type Ib and Ic Supernovae

As probes of the very latest stages of massive stellar evolution, type Ib and Ic core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are known to be the result of stripped envelope progenitors produced by strong winds or via interaction with a binary companion. Although it was initially thought that these massive spherical progenitors resulted in symmetric explosions, more recent studies have found that these CCSNe diverge from this picture. The mystery behind the asymmetries seen in these CCSNe drives many investigations of these phenomena today. Analysis of CCSNe polarization signatures is a powerful tool for constraining the geometry of these objects by identifying structures within the remnant that cannot otherwise be resolved. We present a comparative study of time-dependent spectropolarimetric data from recently observed type Ib and Ic CCSNe as part of the Supernova Spectropolarimetry (SNSPOL) project. By comparing both spectral line features as well a polarization levels between the objects we quantify how spectropolarimetric signatures vary with SN subtype and other system properties. Additionally, with multi-epoch observations of each target we show the progression of these signatures over time. This time-dependent spectropolarimetric analysis plays an essential role in characterizing the asymmetries in Type Ib and Ic SN, identifying the mechanisms behind them and constraining the corresponding properties of the progenitor.