Related papers: A Supernova Riddle
Type Ia supernovae are thought to be the outcome of the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf in a close binary system. Two possible scenarios, not necessarily incompatible, have been advanced. One assumes a white dwarf that accretes…
Observations of high redshift type Ia supernovae (SNe) will enable us to probe the structure of galaxy halos and the composition of dark matter. The future prospects for this field are briefly discussed here. First the ability of SN…
Thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae are bright stellar explosions, the light curves of which can be calibrated to allow for use as "standard candles" for measuring cosmological distances. Contemporary research investigates how the brightness…
Some highly reddened Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) display low total-to-selective extinction ratios ($R_V \lesssim 2$) in comparison to that of typical Milky Way dust ($R_V \approx 3.3$), and polarization curves that rise steeply to blue…
The current classification scheme for supernovae is presented. The main observational features of the supernova types are described and the physical implications briefly addressed. Differences between the homogeneous thermonuclear type Ia…
Despite decades of dedicated efforts there are still basic questions to answer with regard to Supernova progenitor systems and explosion mechanisms. In particular, in the last years a number of exceptionally bright objects and extremely…
We present the results of a systematic analysis of a group of Type II plateau supernovae that span a large range in luminosities, from faint objects like SN 1997D and 1999br to very luminous events like SN 1992am. The physical properties of…
Future use of type Ia supernovae for cosmology aims not only to determine the equation of state of dark energy, but also to constrain possible variations in its value. To achieve this goal, supernovae need to become better calibrated…
Supernovae of type Ia (SNe Ia) are very important for cosmography. To exclude systematic effects in linking the observed light of distant SNe Ia to the parameters of cosmological models, one has to understand the nature of supernova…
This paper presents a short review on the current state of SN Ia progenitor origin. Type Ia supernova explosions are observed to be widely diverse in peak luminosity, lightcurve width and shape, spectral features, and host stellar…
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have been used empirically as standardized candles to reveal the accelerating universe even though fundamental details, such as the nature of the progenitor system and how the star explodes, remained a mystery.…
We study how type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are spatially distributed within their host galaxies, using data taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This paper specifically tests the hypothesis that the SNe Ia rate traces the r-band…
Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) are generally believed to be the result of the thermonuclear disruption of Chandrasekhar-mass carbon-oxygen white dwarfs, mainly because such thermonuclear explosions can account for the right amount of nickel,…
The non-detection of companion stars in Type Ia supernova (SN) progenitor systems lends support to the notion of double-degenerate (DD) systems and explosions triggered by the merging of two white dwarfs. This very asymmetric process should…
We examine the basic physics of type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) light curves with a view toward interpreting the relations between peak luminosity, peak width, and late-time slope in terms of the properties of the underlying explosion models. We…
In the dense stellar environment of the globular clusters, compact binaries are produced dynamically. Therefore the fraction of type Ia supernovae that explode in globular clusters is expected to be higher than the fraction of mass residing…
Observational signatures of the circumstellar material (CSM) around Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) provide a unique perspective on their progenitor systems. The pre-supernova evolution of the SN progenitors may naturally eject CSM in most of…
We present polarization spectra near maximum light for the strongly subluminous Type Ia supernova 1999by that show that the supernova is intrinsically polarized. SN 1999by has an observed, overall level of polarization of ~0.3 to 0.8%, a…
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…
The main observational properties and resulting classification of supernovae (SNe) are briefly reviewed. Then we discuss the progress in modeling of two basic types of SNe - the thermonuclear and core-collapse ones, with special emphasis…