Observational Results from SN1987A and their Implications on Theoretical Modelling of Supernovae

Abstract

In the approximately one year since the explosion of the Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a large amount of work, both observational as well as theoretical, has been undertaken. Stan Woosley, a prolific worker in the field has summarized the situation in the following way: “Accurate data, especially regarding the bolometric light curve, was initially difficult to obtain, and a proliferation of models occurred, many of them mutually inconsistent. Few, if any, are in food accord with data as we now know it. For the most part, theoreticians were greatly influenced by what they happened to be working on at the time and by a great haste to publish”. In the ensuing time, more reliable and crosschecked data have been gathered and theoretical understanding has been substantially advanced. In this presentation I shall discuss the relevance of a few crucial observations on SN1987A to Supernova models and their theoretical understanding.