MINI REVIEW article
Front. Astron. Space Sci.
Sec. Extragalactic Astronomy
This article is part of the Research TopicTime Domain Astronomy: Insights into Variable and Transient SourcesView all 5 articles
Hydrogen-Rich to Stripped-Envelope: Observational Continuity and Biases in CCSNe
Provisionally accepted
Anjasha Gangopadhyay1,2*
Priscila J. Pessi3,4- 1Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- 2Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
- 3Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm, Sweden,Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- 4Astrophysics Division, National Centre for Nuclear Research, Pasteura 7, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
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Although historically classified into discrete subclasses, there is growing evidence that indicates that core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) categories often overlap, reflecting continuous variations in progenitor structure, mass-loss history, and circumstellar environments rather than strictly distinct channels. In this review, we explore the proposed continua that link hydrogen-rich Type II SNe to stripped-envelope explosions (IIb→Ib→Ic), and that extend further into interaction-dominated and superluminous events. We discuss the physical processes—stellar winds, binary interaction, eruptive outbursts, and circumstellar interaction—that may produce graded outcomes across classes, while highlighting where observational evidence supports or challenges smooth transitions. We propose that CCSNe are better viewed as a multidimensional continuum of explosion outcomes, where traditional subclasses act as reference points rather than strict boundaries. Future progress will rely on large, homogeneous datasets and advanced modeling to disentangle true evolutionary sequences from apparent overlaps, ultimately connecting progenitor pathways to the observed diversity of explosions.
Keywords: continuum, core-collapse supernova, Photometry, spectroscopy, Supernova
Received: 18 Sep 2025; Accepted: 05 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gangopadhyay and Pessi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Anjasha Gangopadhyay
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