Related papers: A review of type Ia supernova spectra
We present a measurement of the distant Type Ia supernova rate derived from the first two years of the Canada -- France -- Hawaii Telescope Supernova Legacy Survey. We observed four one-square degree fields with a typical temporal frequency…
Because Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are not perfect standard candles, it is important to be able to use distance-independent observables (DIOs) to define subsets of SNe Ia that are ``nearly standard candles'' or to correct SN Ia absolute…
Detailed quantitative spectroscopy of Type Ia supernovae (SNe~Ia) provides crucial information needed to minimize systematic effects in both ongoing SNe Ia observational programs such as the Nearby Supernova Factory, ESSENCE, and the…
A growing subset of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) show evidence for unexpected interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (SNe Ia-CSM). The precise nature of the progenitor, however, remains debated owing to spectral ambiguities arising…
The spectrum of a supernova is a summation of numerous overlapping atomic line signatures. Consequently, empirical measurements are limited in application when compound features are assumed to be due to one or two spectral lines. Here I…
In this paper, we review the present state of theoretical models of thermonuclear supernovae, and compare their predicitions with the constraints derived from observations of Type Ia supernovae. The diversity of explosion mechanisms usually…
Theoretical and observational cosmology have enjoyed a number of significant successes over the last two decades. Cosmic microwave background measurements from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and Planck, together with large-scale…
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…
In this Letter we present evidence for a spectral sequence among Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The sequence is based on the systematic variation of several features seen in the near-maximum light spectrum. This sequence is analogous to the…
The late-time spectra of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are powerful probes of the underlying physics of their explosions. We investigate the late-time optical and near-infrared spectra of seven SNe Ia obtained at the VLT with XShooter at…
Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are standardizable candles that allow us to measure the recent expansion rate of the Universe. Due to uncertainties in progenitor physics, potential astrophysical dependencies may bias cosmological measurements…
We present an in-depth study of the late-time near-infrared plateau in Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), which occurs between 70-500 d. We double the existing sample of SNe Ia observed during the late-time near-infrared plateau with new…
Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are the thermonuclear explosion of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (WD) and are well-known as a distance indicator. However, it is still unclear how WDs increase their mass near the Chandrasekhar limit and how the…
Even at extragalactic distances, the shape of supernova ejecta can be effectively diagnosed by spectropolarimetry. We present here results for 17 Type Ia supernovae that allow a statistical study of the correlation among the geometric…
Owing to their utility for measurements of cosmic acceleration, Type Ia supernovae (SNe) are perhaps the best-studied class of SNe, yet the progenitor systems of these explosions largely remain a mystery. A rare subclass of SNe Ia show…
Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) have been extensively used as standardisable candles in the optical for several decades. However, SNe Ia have shown to be more homogeneous in the near-infrared (NIR), where the effect of dust extinction is also…
We present spectra of twelve Type Ia supernovae obtained in 1999 at the William Herschel Telescope and the Nordic Optical Telescope during a search for Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) at intermediate redshift. The spectra range from z=0.178 to…
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are the largest thermonuclear explosions in the Universe. Their light output can be seen across great distances and has led to the discovery that the expansion rate of the Universe is accelerating. Despite the…
We develop a method to measure the strength of the absorption features in Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) spectra and use it to make a quantitative comparison between the spectra of Type Ia supernovae at low and high redshifts. In this case…
We present a summary of our understanding of Type Ia Supernova progenitors, mostly discussing the observational approach. The main goal of this review is to provide the non-specialist with a sufficiently comprehensive view of where we…