56Ni and the light curve of Type I supernova

The explanation of SN Type I by radioactive decay of 56Ni requires a relatively small value of the transparency function M/sub ej//v92 = 0.22 in units of M/sub solar/'s and 109 cm s-1 to explain the light curve. A minimum mass of 56Ni is required to explain the peak and near peak luminosity. Subsequent radioactive decay energy must escape in some other form than optical light in order to explain the rapid early and late time decay. Early ultraviolet and infrared radiation are excluded as sinks of energy by observations. PdV work is excluded by theory. The energy loss due to the escape of gamma rays and β+'s with the above value of M/sub ej//v92 gives good agreement with the light curve after maximum, provided essentially all the trapped energy is converted to optical light. The peak of SN 1972e is explained with the above transparency value M/sub ej//v92 = 0.22 and mass of 56Ni of 0.25 M/sub solar/ or 0.4 M/sub solar/, and a distance of 3.2 Mpc or 4 Mpc, respectively. These values depend critically upon the prediscovery report of Austin (1972), and the assumption again that all the radiation is emitted in the observed B and V bands by an efficient fluorescent (corona) conversion of uv