Schedule Feb 08, 2006
Observations of Radio SNe
Kurt Weiler (NRL)

The study of radio emission from extragalactic supernovae has resulted in the detection of a few tens of examples of Type Ib/c and Type II SNe ofvarious sub-classes. No Type Ia supernova has ever been detected in the radio. Approaching 200 SNe of all types and sub-types have been studiedwithout detection over the same interval.Out of this extensive study of the radio emission from supernovae, several general observations can be made: (1) Type Ia SNe are not radio emitters tothe detection limit of the VLA; (2) Type Ib/c SNe are radio luminous with steep spectral indices (generally, spectral index < -1) and a fastturn-on/turn-off, usually peaking at 6 cm near or before optical maximum; (3) Type II SNe (with various optically determined sub-types) show a range of radio luminosities with flatter spectral indices (generally, spectral index > -1) and a relatively slow turn-on/turn-off, usually peaking at 6 cm significantly after optical maximum; and (4) At least some type Ib/c SNe are related to the ``soft-slow'' subclass of gamma-ray bursters (GRBs).From the radio data it is possible to classify the properties of supernovae and to develop and test models for the radio emission which match the light curves. Among the results of this work are estimates of the density and structure of the circumstellar material, the density evolution of thepresupernova stellar wind, and insight into the last stages of stellar evolution before the explosion.

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