| Abstract |
Throughout history, observational supernova studies have focused
almost exclusively on their strong optical emission powered by the
radioactive decay of Nickel. Yet many of the leading breakthroughs in our
understanding of supernovae and their progenitors have been enabled by
observations at other wavelengths. For example, through the combination
of radio, optical, X-ray and gamma-ray observations, we now know that less
than 0.1 percent of all core-collapse supernovae require "central engines"
(compact accreting sources) to power associated gamma-ray bursts. As I
will discuss, it is the growing sample of radio and X-ray observations of
nearby supernovae that are enabling rapid progress in revealing the nature
of the GRB-SN connection. The fundamental question at this stage is
clearly: which key progenitor property enables such a small fraction of
massive star explosions to give rise to relativistic ejecta, and in turn,
GRBs? While progenitor mass, metallicity, and binarity are among the most
popular explanations, I will discuss how panchromatic observations (radio
through gamma-rays) of supernovae and their environments shed light on
this puzzle, using our extensive analysis on SN 2008D as a primary
example.
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