Type Ia Supernovae

Bruno Leibundgut

Published 2000-03-22Version 1

Type Ia Supernovae are in many aspects still enigmatic objects. Recent years have witnessed a bonanza of supernova observations. The increased samples from dedicated searches have allowed the statistical investigation of Type Ia Supernovae as a class. The observational data on Type Ia Supernovae are very rich, and the uniform picture of a decade ago has been replaced by several correlations which connect the maximum luminosity with light curve shape, color evolution, spectral appearance, and host galaxy morphology. These correlations hold across almost the complete spectrum of Type Ia Supernovae, with a number of notable exceptions. After 150 days past maximum, however, all observed objects show the same decline rate and spectrum. Bolometric light curves are a handy tool to investigate the overall appearance of Type Ia Supernovae. The nickel masses derived this way show large variations, which combined with the dynamics from line widths, indicate that the brighter events are also coming from more massive objects. The lack of accurate distances and the uncertainty in the correction for absorption are hampering further progress. Improvements in these areas are vital for the detailed comparison of luminosities and the determination of nickel masses.