A dance of theory and inference Lightcurve modelling of electromagnetic transients at scale

by Dr Nikhil Sarin (Kavli Senior Fellow/Assistant Research Professor, University of Cambridge)

Wednesday 16 Sept 2026, 13:30 → 14:30 Europe/Stockholm

FC 61 (AlbaNova Main Building)

Observations of supernovae offer an indirect look at stars with a wide variety of initial conditions. However, extracting these conditions and gaining an insight into the evolution and deaths of their progenitors requires a delicate interplay between theory and observations. This process is often obfuscated by the fact that our models of the progenitor, the EM emission, and the data itself are imperfect. In this talk, I will highlight progress in building better models for the multi-wavelength EM emission in radioactive, interaction-powered, and engine-powered supernovae, and detail what we have learnt and can learn by confronting these models to observations. I will focus in particular on the enigmatic extragalactic fast X-ray transients, broadline Ic-BL, thermonuclear supernovae, and super-luminous supernovae, discussing what new observations indicate about their progenitors, central engines, and surrounding environment.