Ponente
Descripción
Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are explosive astrophysical events that emit radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, extending up to soft gamma rays. Very high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission is expected to arise from shock interactions between dense circumstellar material and the supernova ejecta. However, no unambiguous detection has yet been achieved by past or current generations of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). A key limiting factor is gamma-gamma absorption, whereby VHE photons are attenuated through gamma-gamma interactions with low-energy photons from the supernova photosphere. This effect is particularly significant during the first tens to hundreds of days post-explosion, suppressing GeV–TeV emission.
Current theoretical models suggest that with the enhanced sensitivity of the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), a bright CCSN could be detected up to distances of 10–70 Mpc after approximately 40 hours of integration time, depending on the strength of the shock interaction and the level of gamma-gamma attenuation. Among existing IACTs, the stereo configuration constituted by the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes (MAGIC), together with the CTAO’s first Large Sized Telescope (LST-1), stands out due to its low energy threshold and improved sensitivity in the GeV regime—where gamma-ray attenuation is less severe—making it the most promising current setup for detection.
In this contribution, I will present the current state of CCSN observations at VHE, with a focus on the ongoing follow-up campaign carried out by the LST and MAGIC collaborations. I will highlight the most recent results, which demonstrate the capabilities of the MAGIC+LST-1 configuration and show its potential when combined with multiwavelength observations to improve our understanding of these explosive phenomena.
