Review on the Observed and Physical Properties of Core Collapse Supernovae

This paper summarizes observed and physical properties of all types of core collapse supernovae. Despite the great diversity displayed by these objects, several regularities emerge which suggest that 1) there is a continuum in the properties of these objects, 2) the mass of the envelope is one of the driving parameters of the explosion, or it is correlated with some other property of the core, with the latter determining the outcome of the explosion, and 3) the physics of the core and explosion mechanism of all core collapse supernovae are not be fundamentally different, regardless of the external appearance of the supernova. Far above in energy scale and 56Ni production lies SN 1998bw, the only supernova firmly associated with a gamma-ray burst.