Gravitational Lensing Statistics of Amplified Supernovae

Amplification statistics of gravitationally lensed supernovae can provide a valuable probe of the lensing matter in the universe. A general probability distribution for amplification by compact objects is derived which allows calculation of the lensed fraction of supernovae at or greater than an amplification A and at or less than an apparent magnitude m_i_. Comparison of the computed fractions with future results from ongoing supernova searches can lead to determination of the mass density ({OMEGA}_L_) of compact dark matter components with masses >~10^-3^ M_sun_, while the time-dependent amplification (and polarization) of the expanding supernovae constrain the individual masses. Type II supernovae are found to give the largest fraction (<~0.05 {OMEGA}_L_) for deep surveys, and the optimum flux-limited search is found to be at approximately 23d magnitude, if evolution of the supernova rate is neglected.