RADIO SUPERNOVAE AS DISTANCE INDICATORS

Long-term monitoring of the radio emission from supernovae with the Ve ry Large Array (VLA) shows that the radio ''light curves'' evolve in a systematic fashion with a distinct peak flux density (and thus, in co mbination with a distance, a peak spectral luminosity) at each frequen cy and with a well-defined time from explosion to that peak. Studying these two quantities at 6 cm wavelength, peak spectral luminosity (L-6 cm peak), and time after explosion date (t(0)) to reach that peak (t( 6 cm peak) - t(0)), we find that they appear related. In particular, b ased on two objects, Type Ib supernovae may be approximate radio ''sta ndard candles'' with a 6 cm peak luminosity of L-6 cm peak approximate to 19.9 X 10(26) ergs s(-1) Hz(-1); also, based on two objects, Type Ic supernovae may be approximate radio standard candles with a 6 cm pe ak luminosity of L-6 cm peak approximate to 6.5 X 10(26) ergs s(-1) Hz (-1); and, based on 12 objects, Type II supernovae appear to obey a re lation L-6 cm peak similar or equal to 5.5 X 10(23) (t(6 cm peak) - t( 0))(1.4) ergs s(-1) Hz(-1), with time measured in days. If these relat ions are supported by further observations, they provide a means for d etermining distances to supernovae, and thus to their parent galaxies, from purely radio continuum observations. With currently available se nsitivity of the VLA, it is possible to employ these relations for obj ects further than the Virgo Cluster out to similar to 100 Mpc. With pl anned improvements to the VLA and the possible construction of more se nsitive radio telescopes, these techniques could be extended to z simi lar to 1 for some classes of bright radio supernovae.