Peculiar Supernovae

Abstract

What makes a supernova truly `peculiar?' In this chapter we attempt to address this question by tracing the history of the use of `peculiar' as a descriptor of non-standard supernovae back to the original binary spectroscopic classification of Type I vs. Type II proposed by Minkowski (1941). A handful of noteworthy examples (including SN 2012au, SN 2014C, iPTF14hls, and iPTF15eqv) are highlighted to illustrate a general theme: classes of supernovae that were once thought to be peculiar are later seen as logical branches of standard events. This is not always the case, however, and we discuss ASASSN-15lh as an example of a transient with an origin that remains contentious. We remark on how late-time observations at all wavelengths (radio-through-X-ray) that probe 1) the kinematic and chemical properties of the supernova ejecta and 2) the progenitor star system's mass loss in the terminal phases preceding the explosion, have often been critical in understanding the nature of seemingly unusual events.

31 pages, 10 figures; a refereed review article published in Space Science Reviews; includes new data on SN 2014C and iPTF14hls

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Transients from ONe White-Dwarf - Neutron-Star/Black-Hole Mergers
• Active Anomaly Detection for time-domain discoveries
• Evidence for a pulsar wind nebula in the Type Ib-peculiar supernova SN 2012au
• The role of jets in exploding supernovae and in shaping their remnants
• Late-time observations of the extraordinary Type II supernova iPTF14hls
• How Tycho Brahe's recordings in 1572 support SN 1572 as a type I(a) supernova