Understanding cosmic explosions
Abstract
Millimeter-wavelength observations provide a uniquely sensitive window into the physics of cosmic explosions, from supernovae (SNe) and tidal disruption events (TDEs) to nova eruptions, stellar mergers and electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) sources. Over the past decade, discoveries across the transient sky have revealed that many of the most informative phases of shock interaction, particle acceleration and jet formation unfold at frequencies above the traditional cm-wave domain, where synchrotron self-absorption weakens and thermal, nonthermal and dust components can be disentangled. Upcoming wide-field mm surveys will detect a new population of short-lived transients but will be limited by coarse localization and limited spectral characterization. ALMA2040, with dramatically improved sensitivity, wide instantaneous spectral coverage, rapid-response and sub-arraying modes, polarimetry and extended baselines, is essential for converting these discoveries into robust physical constraints. Here we outline the scientific context, key open questions and the ALMA2040 capabilities required to unlock the full potential of millimeter time-domain astrophysics in the 2040s.
Related
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- Wave-particle acceleration during supernova explosions
- The first mass peak of merging black holes from core binding energies and jet-driven explosions
- Broadband non-thermal emission predictions based on 3D simulations of supernova explosions within active galactic nuclei jets
- Strong Black Hole Natal Kicks in Magnetized Accretion-Powered Explosions
BibTeX
@misc{koljonen2026understanding,
title = {{Understanding cosmic explosions}},
author = {Karri I. I. Koljonen and Tomek Kamiński and Anna Y. Q. Ho and Thomas Maccarone and Aneurin Evans and María Díaz Trigo and Thomas D. Russell and Dieu D. Nguyen and Dirk Petry and Jakob van den Eijnden and Tanmoy Laskar and Laura Chomiuk and the ALMA2040 Transient and Time-Domain Astronomy working group},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.20740},
eprint = {2610.20740},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.20740},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Understanding cosmic explosions
AU - Karri I. I. Koljonen
AU - Tomek Kamiński
AU - Anna Y. Q. Ho
AU - Thomas Maccarone
AU - Aneurin Evans
AU - María Díaz Trigo
AU - Thomas D. Russell
AU - Dieu D. Nguyen
AU - Dirk Petry
AU - Jakob van den Eijnden
AU - Tanmoy Laskar
AU - Laura Chomiuk
AU - the ALMA2040 Transient
AU - Time-Domain Astronomy working group
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.20740
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.20740
AB - Millimeter-wavelength observations provide a uniquely sensitive window into the physics of cosmic explosions, from supernovae (SNe) and tidal disruption events (TDEs) to nova eruptions, stellar mergers and electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) sources. Over the past decade, discoveries across the transient sky have revealed that many of the most informative phases of shock interaction, particle acceleration and jet formation unfold at frequencies above the traditional cm-wave domain, where synchrotron self-absorption weakens and thermal, nonthermal and dust components can be disentangled. Upcoming wide-field mm surveys will detect a new population of short-lived transients but will be limited by coarse localization and limited spectral characterization. ALMA2040, with dramatically improved sensitivity, wide instantaneous spectral coverage, rapid-response and sub-arraying modes, polarimetry and extended baselines, is essential for converting these discoveries into robust physical constraints. Here we outline the scientific context, key open questions and the ALMA2040 capabilities required to unlock the full potential of millimeter time-domain astrophysics in the 2040s.
ER -