Evidence for a compact Wolf-Rayet progenitor for the Type Ic supernova   PTF 10vgv
  We present the discovery of PTF 10vgv, a Type Ic supernova detected by the Palomar Transient Factory, using the Palomar 48-inch telescope (P48). R-band observations of the PTF 10vgv field with P48 probe the supernova emission from its very early phases (about two weeks before R-band maximum), and set limits on its flux in the week prior to the discovery. Our sensitive upper limits and early detections constrain the post-shock-breakout luminosity of this event. Via comparison to numerical (analytical) models, we derive an upper-limit of R \lesssim 4.5 Rsun (R \lesssim 1 Rsun) on the radius of the progenitor star, a direct indication in favor of a compact Wolf-Rayet star. Applying a similar analysis to the historical observations of SN 1994I, yields R \lesssim 1/4 Rsun for the progenitor radius of this supernova. 
A. Corsi, E. O. Ofek, A. Gal-Yam, D. A. Frail, D. Poznanski, P. A.   Mazzali, S. R. Kulkarni, M. M. Kasliwal, I. Arcavi, S. ...
astro-ph.CO