Astronomy Colloquium (2018 Fall Semester)

* Date.        Sep 06

* Speaker   Luc Dessart (CNRS France & Univ. Chile)

* Title.        Core-collapse supernovae powered by magnetars

* Abstract 

   In the last decade, numerous super-luminous supernovae (SNe) have been discovered, with time-integrated luminosities up to 10-100 times greater than their `standard’ counterparts.

   Here, I will discuss the basic properties of standard core-collapse SNe and the mechanisms by which their luminosity may be boosted. I will then focus on magnetar-powered SNe and discuss the results from numerical simulations of their light curves and spectra, together with a comparison to a few spectacular observations recently reported. Although rare, these super-luminous SNe capture the extremes of stellar evolution and 

stellar explosions, offering a critical look on the physics of massive stars.