paper

Luminous Supernovae

arXiv:1208.3217 · doi:10.1126/science.1203601

Abstract

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 SNe that are substantially super-luminous (>7x10^{43} erg/s; <-21 mag absolute) were well-documented. Reviewing the accumulated evidence, we define three broad classes of super-luminous SN events (SLSNe). Hydrogen-rich events (SLSN-II) radiate photons diffusing out from thick hydrogen layers where they have been deposited by strong shocks, and often show signs of interaction with circumstellar material. SLSN-R, a rare class of hydrogen-poor events, are powered by very large amounts of radioactive 56Ni and arguably result from explosions of very massive stars due to the pair instability. A third, distinct group of hydrogen-poor events emits photons from rapidly-expanding hydrogen-poor material distributed over large radii, and are not powered by radioactivity (SLSN-I). These may be the hydrogen-poor analogs of SLSN-II.

This manuscript has been accepted for publication in Science (to appear August 24). This version has not undergone final editing. Please refer to the complete version of record at http://www.sciencemag.org/. The manuscript may not be reproduced or used in any manner that does not fall within the fair use provisions of the Copyright Act without the prior, written permission of AAAS

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