Source of energy and pre-explosion progenitor evolution of Super-Luminous SNe

  • Margutti, Raffaella (PD/PI)

Project: Research project

Project Details

Description

With bolometric peak luminosities L>7x10^43 erg/s the new class of Super Luminous Super Novae (SLSNe) outshine ordinary SNe by a factor 10-100 and represent the deaths of the most massive stars in our Universe. Their exceptional luminosity requires exotic explosion mechanisms and sources of energy whose nature is unclear. Here we propose a focused Chandra program to probe their X-ray emission down to unprecedented limits as part of our multi-wavelength effort. The final aim is to: (i) Pin down the energy source of SLSNe; (ii) Map the diversity of the pre-explosion evolution of their progenitors. This program opens a new window of investigation on the physics that drives the most luminous stellar explosions in our Universe.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date9/10/161/25/18

Funding

  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (GO6-17052A // NAS8-03060)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (GO6-17052A // NAS8-03060)

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