Related papers: Pulsational pair instability as an explanation for…
Stars with helium cores between ~64 and 133 M_sun are theoretically predicted to die as pair-instability supernovae. This requires very massive progenitors, which are theoretically prohibited for Pop II/I stars within the Galactic stellar…
Study of the polarization of supernovae has suggested that the core collapse process may be intrinsically strongly asymmetric. There is a tentative trend for supernova with smaller envelopes showing more polarization, with Type Ic having…
(abridged) We report our discovery and observations of the peculiar Type IIn supernova SN2006gy in NGC1260, revealing that it reached a peak magnitude of -22, making it the most luminous supernova ever recorded. It is not yet clear what…
Recent stellar evolution models show consistently that very massive metal-free stars evolve into red supergiants shortly before they explode. We argue that the envelopes of these stars, which will form pair-instability supernovae, become…
The discovery of 150 - 300 M$_{\odot}$ stars in the Local Group and pair-instability supernova candidates at low redshifts has excited interest in this exotic explosion mechanism. Realistic light curves for pair-instability supernovae at…
The final evolution of stars in the mass range 70 - 140 solar masses is explored. Depending upon their mass loss history and rotation rates, these stars will end their lives as pulsational pair-instability supernovae producing a great…
Superluminous supernovae radiate up to 100 times more energy than normal supernovae. The origin of this energy and the nature of their stellar progenitors are poorly understood. We identify neutral iron lines in the spectrum of one such…
The present understanding of supernova explosion of massive stars as a two-step process, with an initial gravitational collapse toward the center of the star followed by an expansion of matter after a bouncing on the core, meets several…
We present 2D simulations of pair-instability supernovae considering rapid rotation during their explosion phases. Recent studies of the Pop III star formation suggested that these stars could be born with a mass scale about 100 Msun and…
Observational evidence suggests that some very massive stars in the local Universe may die as pair-instability supernovae. We present 2D simulations of the pair-instability supernova of a non-zero metallicity star. We find that very little…
The origin of high-redshift quasars and their supermassive black hole engines is unclear. One promising solution is the collapse of a primordial supermassive star. Observational confirmation of this scenario may be challenging, but a…
Nonrotating, zero metallicity stars with initial masses 140 < M < 260 solar masses are expected to end their lives as pair-production supernovae (PPSNe), in which an electron-positron pair-production instability triggers explosive nuclear…
Massive stars having a CO core of $\sim$40-60 M$_\odot$ experience pulsational pair-instability (PPI) after carbon-burning. This instability induces strong pulsations of the whole star and a part of outer envelope is ejected. We investigate…
So called superluminous supernovae have been recently discovered in the local Universe. It appears possible that some of them originate from stellar explosions induced by the pair instability mechanism. Recent stellar evolution models also…
A very massive star with a carbon-oxygen core in the range of $64$ M$_{\odot}<M_{\mathrm{CO}}<133$ M$_{\odot}$ is expected to undergo a very different kind of explosion known as a pair instability supernova. Pair instability supernovae are…
Massive stars end their short lives in spectacular explosions, supernovae, that synthesize new elements and drive galaxy evolution. Throughout history supernovae were discovered chiefly through their delayed optical light, preventing…
Stars with masses of 80 - 130 Msun can encounter the pulsational pair-instability at the end of their lives, which triggers consecutive episodes of explosive burning that eject multiple massive shells. Collisions between these shells…
In certain mass ranges, massive stars can undergo a violent pulsation triggered by the electron/positron pair instability that ejects matter, but does not totally disrupt the star. After one or more of these pulsations, such stars are…
Magnetic spin-down of a millisecond neutron star has been proposed as the power source of hydrogen-poor "superluminous" supernovae (SLSNe-I). However, producing an unambiguous test that can distinguish this model from alternatives, such as…
Massive stars (M> 10Msun) end their lives with spectacular explosions due to gravitational collapse. The collapse turns the stars into compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes with the ejection of cosmic rays and heavy…