Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA)
Société canadienne d'astronomie (CASCA)


Christopher D. MATZNER
University of Toronto

Energy Feedback in Core-Collapse Supernovae


In core collapse supernovae, energy released by gravity unbinds the stellar envelope. Gravitational energy feedback, which appears also in accreting stars and black holes, plays a controlling role in the explosion mechanism. I briefly review ideas for the mechanism of feedback in supernovae, and go on to discuss some of the spectacular aftereffects of explosive energy deposition within stellar envelopes, touching on envelope ejection, x-ray flashes, relativistic motion, and gamma-ray bursts.