Deciphering the origin story of a faint and fast evolving supernova SN 2023zaw

This ZTF science vlog takes you through the solving of a particular cosmic mystery, the explosion of supernovae ZTF2023zaw. In the role of a lead detector, we have the Caltech PhD student Kaustav Das who will show you the steps scientists take to unravel the bits of unknown sprinkled in the universe.

ZTF2023zaw seems to be an ultra-stripped, nickel poor supernovae from a low mass progenitor. Why do Kaustav and his colleagues think so? Find all the details in their paper published opne-access in the Astrophysical Journal Letters at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10....

This video is part of the ZTF science vlog series in which scientists from the ZTF partnership present their latest research. To learn more about ZTF, visit us at ztf.caltech.edu