Fr.: luminosité du pic
The → bolometric luminosity of a → supernova corresponding to the highest brightness in its → light curve. The peak luminosity occurs after the → supernova explosion; it is directly linked to the amount of radioactive 56Ni produced in the explosion and can be used to test various explosion models. Following → Arnett's rule, one can derive the 56Ni mass from the peak luminosity of a → Type Ia supernova.