Seven years of coordinated Chandra-NuSTAR observations of SN2014C unfold the extreme mass-loss history of its stellar progenitor

Abstract: We present the results from our seven-year long broad-band X-ray observing campaign of SN\,2014C with \emph{Chandra} and \emph{NuSTAR}. These coordinated observations represent the first look at the evolution of a young extragalactic SN in the 0.3-80 keV energy range in the years after core collapse. We find that the spectroscopic metamorphosis of SN\,2014C from an ordinary type Ib SN into an interacting SN with copious hydrogen emission is accompanied by luminous X-rays reaching $$L_x\approx 5.6\times10^{40}\, \rm{erg\,s<sup>{-1}}$$ (0.3--100 keV) at $\sim 1000$ days post explosion and declining as $L_x\propto t<sup>{-1}$ afterwards. The broad-band X-ray spectrum is of thermal origin and shows clear evidence for cooling after peak, with $$T(t)\approx 20 \,{\rm keV}(t/t_{\rm pk})<sup>{-0.5}$$. Soft X-rays of sub-keV energy suffer from large photoelectric absorption originating from the local SN environment with $$NH_{\rm int}(t)\approx3\times 10^{22}(t/400 \,\rm{days})<sup>{-1.4}\,\rm{cm<sup>{-2}}$$. We interpret these findings as the result of the interaction of the SN shock with a dense ($n\approx 10<sup>{5}-10<sup>{6}\,\rm{cm<sup>{-3}}$), H-rich disk-like circumstellar medium (CSM) with inner radius $\sim2\times 10<sup>{16}$ cm and extending to $\sim 10<sup>{17}$ cm. Based on the declining $NH_{\rm int}(t)$ and X-ray luminosity evolution, we infer a CSM mass of $\sim(1.2\,f$--2.0$\sqrt{f}) \rm{M_{\odot}}$, where $f$ is the volume filling factor. Finally, we place SN\,2014C in the context of 119 core-collapse SNe with evidence for strong shock interaction with a thick circumstellar medium and we highlight the challenges that the current mass-loss theories (including wave-driven mass loss, binary interaction and line-driven winds) face when interpreting the wide dynamic ranges of CSM parameters inferred from observations.