An Explosion of New Explosions
This decade, we have witnessed an explosion of new explosions (literally!). Read Short Review
We have known about classical novae and supernovae for over a century. Recently, systematic searches, serendipitous discoveries and archival searches have uncovered a plethora of novel, rare transients. Several new classes are emerging and the governing physics is filling in holes in our understanding of massive star evolution and compact binary explosions:
- .Ia explosions from ultra-compact white dwarf mergers: Read Paper
- Calcium-rich transients in the middle of nowhere: Read Paper
- Luminous Red Novae (Stellar Merger) & Intermediate Luminosity Red Transients (e-capture in eAGB) Read Paper
- Luminous Supernovae: Hydrogen-poor and Hydrogen-rich interaction-powered varieties
A simple framework of cosmic explosions expressed as peak visual luminosity versus characteristic timescale. [Figure below adapted from Kasliwal 2011 (PhDT)]
Some other case studies of extreme explosions
- GRB070610: A new class of fast X-ray novae? Read Paper or Press Release
- SN2007ax: An extremely faint, fast and red Type Ia supernova Read Paper or Press Release