Related papers: The energy source of intermediate luminosity optic…
The velocities and equivalent widths (EWs) of a set of absorption features are measured for a sample of 28 well-observed Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) covering a wide range of properties. The values of these quantities at maximum are obtained…
We report the discovery of a six-month-long mid-infrared transient, SDWFS-MT-1 (aka SN 2007va), in the Spitzer Deep, Wide-Field Survey of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field. The transient, located in a z=0.19 low luminosity…
A new class of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) has been discovered in recent years by optical/infrared surveys; these SNe suggest the presence of one or more extremely dense (~10^5-10^11 cm^-3) shells of circumstellar material (CSM) on…
An energetic argument implies that a galaxy like the Milky Way is blowing a powerful wind that carries away most of the heavy elements currently synthesized and has impacted the IGM out to at least 180 kpc. Rich clusters of galaxies appear…
The groundbreaking discovery of the optical transient AT2017gfo associated with GW170817 opens a unique opportunity to study the physics of double neutron star (NS) mergers. We argue that the standard interpretation of AT2017gfo as being…
A recent survey of the fine-structure excitation of neutral carbon reveals that the interstellar medium in the Galactic plane exhibits a thermal pressure, nT/k, that ranges from about 10^3 to 10^4 cm{-3}K from one location to the next, with…
We propose that superluminous transients that appear at central regions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) such as CSS100217:102913+404220 (CSS100217) and PS16dtm, which reach near or super-Eddington luminosities of the central black holes,…
The discovery of SN 2018gep (ZTF18abukavn) challenged our understanding of the late-phase evolution of massive stars and their supernovae (SNe). The fast rise in luminosity of this SN (spectroscopically classified as a broad-lined Type Ic…
Matter ejected from the magnetar crust during giant flares (GFs) may undergo $r$-process nucleosynthesis, producing short-lived optical transients termed "novae breves". Although intrinsically much fainter than kilonovae from compact binary…
The origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays remains one of the central open questions in astroparticle physics. Recent measurements reveal anisotropies in arrival directions, a rigidity-dependent composition dominated by intermediate-mass…
We follow the premise that most intermediate luminosity optical transients (ILOTs) are powered by rapid mass accretion onto a main sequence star, and study the effects of jets launched by an accretion disk. The disk is formed due to large…
We examine rare evolutionary routes of binary systems where the initially more massive primary star of ~5.5-8.5Mo, forms a white dwarf (WD), while the secondary star of 4Mo < M_2,0 < M_1,0 accretes mass from the evolved primary and later…
The process of unstable mass transfer in a stellar binary can result in either a complete merger of the stars or successful removal of the donor envelope leaving a surviving more compact binary. "Luminous red nova" (LRN) are the class of…
For decades optical time-domain searches have been tuned to find ordinary supernovae, which rise and fall in brightness over a period of weeks. Recently, supernova searches have improved their cadences and a handful of fast-evolving…
Supernovae (SNe), the luminous explosions of stars, were observed since antiquity, with typical peak luminosity not exceeding 1.2x10^{43} erg/s (absolute magnitude >-19.5 mag). It is only in the last dozen years that numerous examples of…
Superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) are among the most energetic stellar explosions, yet their central power source remains uncertain. Models invoking magnetar spin-down or circumstellar interaction predict GeV gamma-ray emission once the…
The near-maximum spectra of most superluminous supernovae that are not dominated by interaction with a H-rich CSM (SLSN-I) are characterised by a blue spectral peak and a series of absorption lines which have been identified as OII.…
The observed properties of novae before and after eruption are discussed. The distribution of orbital periods of novae shows a concentration near 3.2 h, which resembles that of magnetic cataclysmic variables, and there is some evidence that…
Transient sources such as supernovae (SNe) and tidal disruption events are candidates of high energy neutrino sources. However, SNe commonly occur in the universe and a chance coincidence of their detection with a neutrino signal cannot be…
Nebular spectra of Supernovae (SNe) offer an unimpeded view of the inner region of the ejecta, where most nucleosynthesis takes place. Optical spectra cover most, but not all of the emitting elements, and therefore offer only a partial view…