Explosive nucleosynthesis and beyond: Energy generation in supernovae from massive progenitors

Manipal Centre for Natural Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, Karnataka, India

^* e-mail: rupak.roy@manipal.edu

Published online: 7 June 2024

Abstract

Massive stars (initial mass ≳10M_⊙, where M_⊙ is the mass of the Sun) end their life through violent explosions known as core-collapse supernovae, which are supposed to be among the brightest events of the universe. Nucleosynthesis inside the ejecta of such exploding stars was proposed to be the main source of its years-long radiated power. With the advent of timedomain astronomy, brilliant supernovae with longer evolutionary time scales and larger peak luminosities (10-100 times) than canonical supernovae, have been revealed. These are Superluminous Supernovae (SLSNe). The powering mechanisms of SLSNe are yet not resolved. The proposed theories are the interaction of SN-shock with circumstellar medium (CSM), the presence of a spindown magnetar, or pair-instability (PISNe) in very massive stars. Most likely, In the case of SLSNe, these physical processes generate extra radiated power in addition to the radioactive power due to explosive nucleosynthesis inside the ejecta. Here, I review different mechanisms behind the radiated luminosity of supernovae created from massive progenitors.