S.I. Blinnikov

Parameters of the classical type-IIP supernova SN 1999em

Based on observations of SN 1999em, we determined the physical parameters of this supernova using hydrodynamic calculations including nonequilibrium radiative transfer. Taking the distance to SN 1999em estimated by the expanding photosphere method (EPM) to be D = 7.5 Mpc, we found the parameters of the presupernova: radius R = 450R⊙, mass M = 15M⊙, and explosion energy E = 7 × 1050 erg. For the distance D = 12 Mpc determined from Cepheids, R, M, and E must be increased to the following values: R = 1000R⊙, M = 18M⊙, and E = 1051 erg. We show that one cannot restrict oneself to using the simple analytical formulas relating the supernova and presupernova parameters to obtain reliable parameters for type-IIP presupernovae.

Dynamics and radiation of young type-Ia supernova remnants: Important physical processes

We analyze the physical processes that should be taken into account when modeling young type-Ia supernova remnants (SNRs) with ages of several hundred years in which forward (into the interstellar medium) and reverse (into the ejection) shocks propagate. We show that the energy losses in a heavy-element-rich ejection can be significant for SNRs even at this evolutionary phase. We study the effects of electron thermal conduction and the rate of energy exchange between electrons and ions on the temperature distribution and the X-ray emission from such SNRs. We use observational data for the Tycho SNR from the XMM-Newton Space X-ray Telescope to compare our calculations with observations.We examine and analyze the physical processes that should be taken into account when modeling young type-Ia SNRs, with ages of several hundred years. It is shown, that energy losses in the metal-rich ejecta can be essential for remnants already at this stage of evolution. The influence of electron thermal conduction and the rate of the energy exchange between electrons and ions on the temperature distribution and the X-radiation from such remnants is studied. The data for Tycho SNR from the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope have been employed for the comparison of calculations with observations.

Radial Distributions of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Type Ib/c Supernovae in Galaxies

Data on the positions of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in galaxies are used to construct the radial distributions of their surface density. The gradient in GRB surface density is shown to decrease sharply at a galactocentric distance equal to the effective galactic radius. In central galactic regions, the GRB density distribution agrees with the galactic surface-brightness distribution; in outer regions, the GRB density decreases more slowly than does the surface brightness. Based on improved statistics, we analyze the radial distribution of type Ib/c supernovae. We show that it differs insignificantly from the distributions of other types of supernova and exhibits a much closer similarity to the distribution of star-forming regions than do GRBs. Although the statistics for GRBs is poor, the deviation of their distribution from the distribution of active star-forming regions in nearby galaxies seems to have been firmly established. A correlation of GRBs with the distribution of dark matter in outer galactic regions is not ruled out.

Burning regimes for thermonuclear supernovae and cosmological applications of SNe Ia

The calculations of the light curves of thermonuclear supernovae are carried out by a method of multi-group radiation hydrodynamics. The effects of spectral lines and expansion opacity are taken into account. The predictions for UBVI fluxes are given. The values of rise time for B and V bands found in our calculations are in good agreement with the observed values. We explain why our results for the rise time have more solid physical justification than those obtained by other authors. It is shown that small variations in the chemical composition of the ejecta, produced in the explosions with different regimes of nuclear burning, can influence drastically the light curve decline in the B band and, to a lesser extent, in the V band. We argue that recent results on positive cosmological constant Lambda, found from the high redshift supernova observations, could be wrong in the case of possible variations of the preferred mode of nuclear burning in the earlier Universe.The calculations of the light curves of thermonuclear supernovae are carried out by a method of multi-group radiation hydrodynamics. The effects of spectral lines and expansion opacity are taken into account. The predictions for UBVI fluxes are given. The values of rise time for B and V bands found in our calculations are in good agreement with the observed values. We explain why our results for the rise time have more solid physical justification than those obtained by other authors. It is shown that small variations in the chemical composition of the ejecta, produced in the explosions with different regimes of nuclear burning, can influence drastically the light curve decline in the B band and, to a lesser extent, in the V band. We argue that recent results on positive cosmological constant Lambda, found from the high redshift supernova observations, could be wrong in the case of possible variations of the preferred mode of nuclear burning in the earlier Universe.The method of multigroup radiation hydrodynamics is used to compute light curves for thermonuclear supernovae. Opacities are computed by taking into account spectral lines and expansion. UBVI fluxes are predicted. Our computed times of brightness rise to a maximum in B and V have been found to agree with observations better than those of other authors. The validity of our results is justified physically. The nuclear burning regime is shown to affect significantly the slope of the light curve in B and, to a slightly lesser extent, in V. If the prevailing burning regime during supernova explosions changed with age of the Universe, then the conclusion about a positive cosmological constant Λ drawn from observations of Type Ia supernovae may prove to be wrong.

X-ray Emission Lines in the Early Afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts

We computed the thermal time-dependent X-ray spectrum of a hot plasma in the vicinity of a gamma-ray burst (GRB). An allowance for time-dependent processes in a hot rarefied plasma is shown to strongly affect the observed spectrum. These computations can give an alternative explanation for the observed X-ray emission lines in the early afterglows of GRBs (e.g., GRB 011211). Our technique allows the GRB collimation angle and the environment clumpiness parameters to be independently constrained.

Thermal emission in gamma-ray burst afterglows

We study thermal emission from circumstellar structures heated by gamma-ray burst (GRB) radiation and ejecta and calculate its contribution to GRB optical and X-ray afterglows using the modified radiation hydro-code small STELLA. It is shown that thermal emission originating in heated dense shells around the GRB progenitor star can reproduce X-ray plateaus (like observed in GRB 050904, 070110) as well as deviations from a power law fading observed in optical afterglows of some GRBs (e.g. 020124, 030328, 030429X, 050904). Thermal radiation pressure in the heated circumburst shell dominates the gas pressure, producing rapid expansion of matter similar to supenova-like explosions close to opacity or radiation flux density jumps in the circumburst medium. This phenomenon can be responsible for so-called supernova bumps in optical afterglows of several GRBs. Such a `quasi-supernova suggests interpretation of the GRB-SN connection which does not directly involve the explosion of the GRB progenitor star.

Radial Distribution of GRBs in Host Galaxies

We investigate correlation of gamma-ray burst radial distribution in host galaxies with distributions of other phenomena in galaxies (such as supernovae, dark matter, X-ray binary systems). Various statistical methods are used to test the hypothesis that gamma-ray bursts and some of other objects are distributed similarly. The analysis shows that among all considered objects the distribution of type Ib/c supernovae in galaxies has features which are close to properties of gamma-ray burst distribution.