Our understanding of supernova (SN) physics has altered over the past few decades with the introduction of wide field, high-cadence, all-sky surveys. These surveys have not only increased populations of established SN classes (Ias, IIs and Ib/cs), they have also unearthed several new subclasses of event (e.g. superluminous SNe, SN Iax and Ca-rich events), helping to populate many unexplored regions of the transient phase-space, from the bright/long-lived to the short/faint.

However, with increasing sample sizes, the dividing lines between these subclasses has become less clear. Where previously SN subclasses could be defined in terms of their luminosity, evolution and spectroscopic behaviour, we are observing increasing numbers of interim transients, whose properties appear to broach multiple subclasses. These hybrid SNe challenge current physical models, and underline the many unknowns about the final stages of stellar evolution, and may hint at underlying physical connections, possibly through the progenitor stars or the energy mechanisms producing the SN.

This session aims to bring together SN researchers of all backgrounds, including observers and theoreticians, to discuss the increasing diversity in SN populations, and the physical properties which may connect them. We hope that the meeting will provide a suitable environment for collaboration between people of different fields, as well as between theorists and observers. This session will strive to promote gender, race and geographical diversity, alongside equity across all academic career stages.

Programme

• Thermonuclear SNe and their diversity
• The diversity of core-collapse SNe
• New and emerging classes of transient

Invited speakers

• Georgios Dimitriadis (UC Santa Cruz)
• Claudia Gutierrez-Avendano (Southampton)
• Simon Prentice (QUB)

Scientific organisers

• Charlotte Angus (Southampton)
• Christopher Frohmaier(Portsmouth)
• Janet Ting-Wan Chen (MPE)
• Cosimo Inserra (Cardiff)

Contact

c.r.angus @ soton.ac.uk, chris.frohmaier @ port.ac.uk, jchen @ mpe.mpg.de, InserraC @ cardiff.ac.uk