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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
The radioactive isotopes, such as 44Ti and 56Ni, are synthesized as a result of rapid nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions. The gamma-ray photons coming out from the decay sequence of 44Ti is now a strong candidate to explain the the late light curve of SN 1987A. It is noted here that the energy release from the 44Ti decay depends strongly on its half-life. However, the published values for 44Ti half-life display a large spread, ranging from ~ 35 to ~ 68 years. In this paper (Kumagai et al. 1997; see also Kumagai et al. 1993), we discuss the value of the half-life by comparing the theoretical light curves and the observations in SN 1987A. The unestablished half-life value is related to the ratio of the abundance of 44Ti to that of 56Ni.