Stripped-envelope supernova light curves argue for central engine activity
The luminosity of stripped-envelope supernovae, a common type of stellar explosion, is believed to be mainly driven by the radioactive decay of the nickel synthesized in the explosion and carried in its ejecta. Additional possible energy sources have been previously suggested1–5, in which the two most observationally based results have been from a comparison of the observed time-weighted luminosity with the inferred radioactive power1 and from a comparison of the light curves with particular theoretical models3. However, the former result1 was not statistically significant, and the latte...
Source: nature.com