Determine the powering mechanism of Type I superluminous supernovae

Determine the physical powering mechanism of Type I superluminous supernovae, including whether magnetar spin-down adequately explains their observed properties.

Background

The paper notes that Type I superluminous supernovae are commonly modeled as being powered by magnetar spin-down, but alternative progenitor and energy-source channels have also been proposed. The physical mechanism remains unsettled, which limits the interpretation of the simulated spectral and light-curve populations used for strongly lensed SLSN-I forecasts.

References

Although the progenitor channels of SLSNe-I are not well understood, all proposed channels fundamentally tie the volumetric rate of SLSNe-I to the cosmic star formation rate density (CSFRD).

— Follow-up of SN 2025wny VI: The Rate and Detectable Population of Strongly Lensed SLSNe-I in ZTF  (2609.18912 - Hjortlund et al., 16 Sep 2026) in Section 1, Introduction

The luminosity function of SLSNe-I is not well constrained, with most estimates being limited to small sample sizes and low redshift.

— Follow-up of SN 2025wny VI: The Rate and Detectable Population of Strongly Lensed SLSNe-I in ZTF  (2609.18912 - Hjortlund et al., 16 Sep 2026) in Section 2.1, SLSNe-I Source Population