An Analysis of X-ray Emission in Superluminous Supernovae
Sarah Pedrami
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Faculty Supervisor: Oscar Macias
Hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) are among the most luminous known stellar explosions in the universe, reaching peak optical luminosities of 10-100 times the brightness of a standard supernova. X-ray detections are exceedingly rare among these events with only a small sample of SLSNe-I having associated X-ray observations. This project focuses on the development of a computational model to explore the conditions under which circumstellar medium shock interaction from the explosion can reproduce the X-ray luminosity observed in SLSNe-I. We examine X-ray detections, and make inferences from non-detections, collected with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Swift X-ray Telescope. The application of this model to data will place constraints on the physical properties of both the events and their environments, allowing us to comment on the requirements for X-ray emission in SLSNe-I.