Dr. Logan Prust
\nCenter for Computational Astrophysics – Simons Foundation<\/p>\n
Type I superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) are an order of magnitude brighter than standard supernovae, with the internal power source for their luminosity still unknown. The central engines of SLSNe-I are hypothesized to be magnetars, but many SLSNe-I light curves exhibit multiple bumps or peaks that are unexplained by the standard magnetar model. Systematic surveys of the limited sample of SLSNe-I light curves find no compelling evidence favoring either scenario, leaving both the nature of the light-curve fluctuations and the applicability of the magnetar model unresolved. In this talk, I report high-cadence multiband observations of an SLSN-I with clear “chirped” light-curve bumps that can be directly linked to the properties of the magnetar central engine. Our observations are consistent with a tilted, infalling accretion disk undergoing Lense-Thirring precession around a magnetar centrally located within the expanding supernova ejecta. Our model demonstrates that the overall light curve and bump frequency independently and self-consistently constrain the spin period and magnetic field strength of the magnetar. Our results provide the first observational evidence of frame-dragging in the environment of a magnetar and confirm the magnetar spin-down model as an explanation for the extreme luminosity observed in SLSNe-I.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Frame-Dragging Reveals Central Engine of a Superluminous Supernova<\/strong> Type I superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) are an order of magnitude brighter than standard supernovae, with the internal power source for their luminosity still unknown. The central engines of SLSNe-I are hypothesized to be magnetars, but many SLSNe-I light curves exhibit multiple bumps or peaks that are unexplained by the standard magnetar model.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9647,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[46],"class_list":["post-9053","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","hentry","tribe_events_cat-cgca-seminars","cat_cgca-seminars"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nDr. Logan Prust
\nCenter for Computational Astrophysics – Simons Foundation<\/p>\n