Spectropolarimetry of Supernovae
| dc.creator | Wang, Lifan | |
| dc.creator | Wheeler, J. Craig | |
| dc.date | 2008-11-06 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T12:15:58Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T12:15:58Z | |
| dc.description | Overwhelming evidence has accumulated in recent years that supernova explosions are intrinsically 3-dimensional phenomena with significant departures from spherical symmetry. We review the evidence derived from spectropolarimetry that has established several key results: virtually all supernovae are significantly aspherical near maximum light; core-collapse supernovae behave differently than thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae; the asphericity of core-collapse supernovae is stronger in the inner layers showing that the explosion process itself is strongly aspherical; core-collapse supernovae tend to establish a preferred direction of asymmetry; the asphericity is stronger in the outer layers of thermonuclear supernovae providing constraints on the burning process. We emphasize the utility of the Q/U plane as a diagnostic tool and revisit SN 1987A and SN 1993J in a contemporary context. An axially-symmetric geometry can explain many basic features of core-collapse supernovae, but significant departures from axial symmetry are needed to explain most events. We introduce a spectropolarimetry type to classify the range of behavior observed in polarized supernovae. Understanding asymmetries in supernovae is important for phenomena as diverse as the origins of gamma-ray bursts and the cosmological applications of Type Ia supernovae in studies of the dark energy content of the universe. | |
| dc.description | Draft of Annual Review article prior to final copy editing; 85 pages, 13 figures, 1 table | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/0811.1054 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/0811.1054 | |
| dc.identifier | Ann.Rev.Astron.Astrophys.46:433-474,2008 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1146/annurev.astro.46.060407.145139 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/211653 | |
| dc.subject | Astrophysics | |
| dc.title | Spectropolarimetry of Supernovae | |
| dc.type | text |