Astrophysics & Particle Physics-APPC 2026

Supernovae are the most powerful and dazzling events within the universe, being the explosive demise of stars. They are of fundamental importance in stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, and cosmic enrichment, distributing heavy elements into the interstellar medium and affecting the creation of new stars and planetary systems. There are two principal categories of supernovae. Core-collapse supernovae are found in massive stars (over 8 solar masses) when nuclear fuel is depleted and the core collapses due to gravity, usually resulting in a neutron star or black hole. Type Ia supernovae are due to the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf in a binary system when the white dwarf accretes material over the Chandrasekhar limit. These occurrences are fundamental standard candles for the determination of cosmic distances.Supernovae expel tremendous energies, creating shock waves that propagate through the nearby interstellar gas, initiating star formation and energizing cosmic rays.The blast scatters elements like iron, nickel, and oxygen into space, enriching the chemical content of galaxies.Spectroscopy and photometry of supernovae depend upon observations to investigate their light curves, spectra, and temporal development. Surveys like the Palomar Transient Factory and Pan-STARRS keep observing the sky for transient phenomena at all times, detecting supernovae at different distances and evolutionary stages.Supernova remnants, the gaseous and dusty expanding shells that remain, tell us about shock physics, nucleosynthesis yields, and magnetic field interactions.

The study of these remnants also provides knowledge of the interstellar medium dynamics and stellar lifecycle.By the study of supernovae, astronomers have a better knowledge of stellar lifecycles, high-energy astrophysics, galaxy evolution, and elemental origin. Supernovae are cosmic laboratories for studying extreme physics, and the underlying mechanisms of stellar explosions, compact object formation, and chemical enrichment of the universe are unmasked.