Superluminous supernova
Open-knowledge reference entry
A superluminous supernova (SLSN, plural superluminous supernovae or SLSNe) is a type of stellar explosion with a luminosity 10 or more times higher than that of standard supernovae. Like supernovae, SLSNe seem to be produced by several mechanisms, which is readily revealed by their light-curves and spectra. There are multiple models for what conditions may produce an SLSN, including core collapse in particularly massive stars, millisecond magnetars, interaction with circumstellar material (CSM model), or pair-instability supernovae.
The first confirmed superluminous supernova connected to a gamma ray burst was not found until 2003, when GRB 030329 illuminated the Leo constellation. SN 2003dh represented the death of a star 25 times more massive than the Sun, with material being blasted out at over a tenth the speed of light.
Stars with M ≥ 40 M☉ are likely to produce superluminous supernovae.
Classification
Discoveries of many SLSNe in the 21st century showed that not only were they more luminous by an order of magnitude than most supernovae, their remnants were also unlikely to be powered by the typical radioactive decay that is responsible for the observed energies of conventional supernovae.
SLSNe events use a separate classification scheme to distinguish them from the conventional Type Ia, Type Ib/Ic, and Type II supernovae, roughly distinguishing between the spectral signature of hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-poor events.
Hydrogen-rich SLSNe are classified as Type SLSN-II, with observed radiation passing through the changing opacity of a thick expanding hydrogen envelope. Most hydrogen-poor events are classified as Type SLSN-I, with its visible radiation produced from a large expanding envelope of material powered by an unknown mechanism.
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