Related papers: Supernova SN2006gy as a first ever Quark Nova?
A number of supernovae, classified as Type II, show remarkably peculiar properties such as an extremely low expansion velocity and an extraordinarily small amount of $^{56}$Ni in the ejecta. We present a joint analysis of the available…
SN 2006bt displays characteristics unlike those of any other known Type Ia supernova (SN Ia). We present optical light curves and spectra of SN 2006bt which demonstrate the peculiar nature of this object. SN 2006bt has broad, slowly…
SN 2007if was the third over-luminous SN Ia detected after 2003fg and 2006gz. We present the photometric and spectroscopic observations of the supernova and its host by ROTSE-III, HET and Keck. From the H_alpha line identified in the host…
We explore the scenario where the core of a neutron star (having experienced a transition to an up and down quark phase) shrinks into the equilibrated quark object after reaching strange quark matter saturation density (where a composition…
When the ejecta of supernovae interact with the progenitor star's circumstellar environment, a strong shock is driven back into the ejecta, causing the material to become bright optically and in X-rays. Most notably, as the shock traverses…
Supernovae of Type IIn (narrow line) appear to be explosions that had strong mass loss before the event, so that the optical luminosity is powered by the circumstellar interaction. If the mass loss region has an optical depth $>c/v_s$,…
Photometric and spectroscopic data of the energetic Type Ic supernova (SN) 2002ap are presented, and the properties of the SN are investigated through models of its spectral evolution and its light curve. The SN is spectroscopically similar…
All Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) show narrow hydrogen emission lines in their spectra. Apart from this common feature, they demonstrate very broad diversity in brightness, duration, and morphology of their light curves, which indicates…
Classical novae are runaway thermonuclear burning events on the surfaces of accreting white dwarfs in close binary star systems, sometimes appearing as new naked-eye sources in the night sky. The standard model of novae predicts that their…
We present well-sampled optical observations of the bright Type Ia supernova (SN~Ia) SN 2011fe in M101. Our data, starting from $\sim16$ days before maximum light and extending to $\sim463$ days after maximum, provide an unprecedented time…
The ultraluminous supernova remnant (SNR) in NGC 6946 is the brightest known SNR in X-rays, ~1000 times brighter than Cas A. To probe the nature of this remnant and its progenitor, we have obtained high-dispersion optical echelle spectra.…
Type Ia supernovae are generally agreed to arise from thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs. The actual path to explosion, however, remains elusive, with numerous plausible parent systems and explosion mechanisms suggested.…
The implications of a QCD phase transition at high temperatures and densities for core-collapse supernovae are discussed. For a strong first order phase transition to quark matter, various scenarios have been put forward in the literature.…
The bright, nearby, recently discovered supernova SN2010jl is a member of the rare class of relatively luminous Type~IIn events. Here we report archival HST observations of its host galaxy UGC5189A taken roughly 10yr prior to explosion, as…
Supernovae (SNe) are thought to arise from two different physical processes. The cores of massive, short-lived stars undergo gravitational core collapse and typically eject a few solar masses during their explosion. These are thought to…
We present and discuss the UV/optical photometric light curves and absolute magnitudes of the Type Ia supernova (SN) 2011de from the Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. We find it to be the UV brightest SN Ia yet observed--more than a…
Supernova (SN) 2009ig was discovered 17 hours after explosion by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search, promptly classified as a normal Type Ia SN (SN Ia), peaked at V = 13.5 mag, and was equatorial, making it one of the foremost supernovae…
SN2009ku, discovered by Pan-STARRS-1, is a Type Ia supernova (SNIa), and a member of the distinct SN2002cx-like class of SNeIa. Its light curves are similar to the prototypical SN2002cx, but are slightly broader and have a later rise to…
We present comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of Supernova (SN) 2022eyw, a luminous member of the Type Iax SN subclass. SN 2022eyw reached a peak absolute magnitude of $M_g = -17.80\pm0.15$ mag and exhibited a rise…
The vast majority of Type II supernovae (SNe) are produced by red supergiants (RSGs), but SN 1987A revealed that blue supergiants (BSGs) can produce members of this class as well, albeit with some peculiar properties. This best studied…