  A notable feature of the two standard models for thermonuclear and
core-collapse supernovae is that, although these two models are fundamentally
different, the respective supernova types have quite similar rates and
appearances. For instance, both types occur one to several times per century
per typical galaxy and both types seed the universe with the heavy elements
essential to life. In spite of this, neither standard model provides a
reasonably problem-free description of its target phenomenon. A major obstacle
to providing a unified picture of supernovae would seem to be the fact that
type Ia supernovae occur typically with gigayear delay times after the
cessation of carbon fusion while the core-collapse explosions occur only days
after such fusion cessation. In this article we study the possibility of
extending the successful supersymmetric model for type Ia supernovae to
core-collapse events. The question is whether and under what assumptions a
phase transition to an exact supersymmetric background can efficiently explain
both type Ia and core collapse supernovae.
