New Classes of Super-Luminous Supernovae

Wide field optical imaging surveys are uncovering new classes of never before seen (or at least previously over-looked) stellar explosions. Of particular interest are a group of outbursts dwarfing the most powerful supernovae observed in the past century. With peak luminosities in excess of $10^{44}$\,erg\,s$^{-1}$ and total radiative outputs greater than $10^{51}$\,erg, these events push the limits of conventional supernova explosion theory. It is possible that some of these super-luminous supernovae are triggered by the electron-positron pair instability, and they may thus represent local analogs of the first stellar explosions to shape the universe. In this talk, I will highlight some of the key discoveries in this emerging class, preliminary event rates, host galaxy constraints, and the prospects for future studies.