Supernova 1987A: 18 Months later

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6272903

Schramm, D N

An overview of the significance for physics of the closest visual supernova in almost 400 years is presented. The supernova occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), /approximately/50 kpc away. The supernova star was a massive star of /approximately/15--20M. Observations now show that it was once a red-giant but lost its outer envelope. The lower than standard luminosity and higher observed velocities are a natural consequence of the pre-supernova star being a blue rather than a red (supergiant). Of particular importance to physicists is the detection of neutrinos from the event by detectors in the United States and Japan. Not only did this establish extra-solar system neutrino astronomy, but it also constrained the properties of neutrino. It is shown that the well established Kamioka-IMB neutrino burst experimentally implies an event with about 2--4 /times/ 10/sup 53/ergs emitted in neutrinos and a temperature, T/sub /bar /nu/e//, of between 4 and 4.5 MeV. This event is in excellent agreement with what one would expect from the gravitational core collapse of a massive star. A neutrino detection, such as that reported earlier in Mt. Blanc, would require more than the rest mass energy of a neutron star to be converted to neutrinos, if it were to have its origin in the LMC. Thus it is probably unrelated to the supernova. The anticipated frequency of collapse events in our Galaxy, will also be discussed with a rate as high as 1/10 year shown to be not unreasonable. 61 refs.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03000
• OSTI ID: 6272903
• Report Number(s): FNAL/C-89/27-A; CONF-8808145-32; ON: DE89011092
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
645102 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental-- Weak Interactions & Properties
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
COSMIC RADIATION
CROSS SECTIONS
DETECTION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
FERMIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC MOMENTS
MASS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
NEUTRINO DETECTION
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATIONS
REST MASS
STARS
SUPERNOVAE
SYNTHESIS
VARIABLE STARS