A turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor that is used for forced-induction of an

internal combustion engine. A form of supercharger, the turbocharger increases the

density of air entering the engine to create more power. A turbocharger has the
compressor powered by a turbine, driven by the engine's own exhaust gases, rather than
direct mechanical drive as with many other superchargers.

Early manufacturers of turbochargers referred to them as "turbosuperchargers". A

supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an engine. Logically then,
adding a turbine to turn the supercharger would yield a "turbosupercharger". However,
the term was soon shortened to "turbocharger". This is now a source of confusion, as the
term "turbosupercharged" is sometimes used to refer to an engine that uses both a
crankshaft-driven supercharger and an exhaust-driven turbocharger, often referred to as
twincharging.
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion
engine .

The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be
available in a naturally-aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be provided and more
work to be done per cycle, increasing the power output of the engine.

Power for the unit can come mechanically by a belt, gear, shaft, or chain connected to the
engine's crankshaft.

When power comes from an exhaust gas turbine a supercharger is known as a

turbosupercharger - or more usually simply turbocharger - and common usage is to
restrict the use of supercharger to mechanically driven units.

(http://auto.howstuffworks.com/supercharger1.htm)
Spark ignition engines

Detonation

Detonation (also called "spark knock") is an erratic form of combustion that can cause
head gasket failure as well as other engine damage. Detonation occurs when excessive
heat and pressure in the combustion chamber cause the air/fuel mixture to autoignite.
This produces multiple flame fronts within the combustion chamber instead of a single
flame kernel. When these multiple flames collide, they do so with explosive force that
produces a sudden rise in cylinder pressure accompanied by a sharp metallic pinging or
knocking noise. The hammer-like shock waves created by detonation subject the head
gasket, piston, rings, spark plug and rod bearings to severe overloading.

Mild or occasional detonation can occur in almost any engine and usually causes no
harm. But prolonged or heavy detonation can be very damaging. So if you hear knocking
or pinging when accelerating or lugging your engine, you probably have a detonation
problem.

Pre-ignition

Another condition that is sometimes confused with detonation is "preignition." This

occurs when a point within the combustion chamber becomes so hot that it becomes a
source of ignition and causes the fuel to ignite before the spark plug fires. This, in turn,
may contribute to or cause a detonation problem.

Instead of the fuel igniting at the right instant to give the crankshaft a smooth kick in the
right direction, the fuel ignites prematurely (early) causing a momentarily backlash as the
piston tries to turn the crank in the wrong direction. This can be very damaging because
of the stresses it creates. It can also localize heat to such an extent that it can partially
melt or burn a hole through the top of a piston!

(http://www.misterfixit.com/deton.htm)
Diesel Engines

A combustion knock caused when the delayed period of ignition is long so that a large
quantity of atomized fuel accumulates in the combustion chamber; when combustion
occurs, the sudden high pressure resulting from the accumulated fuel causes diesel knock.

Because diesels rely on compression ignition (no spark), the fuel must be able to auto-
ignite--and generally, the quicker the better. A higher cetane number means a shorter
ignition delay time and more complete combustion of the fuel charge in the combustion
chamber. This, of course, translates into a smoother running, better performing engine
with more power and fewer harmful emissions.

(http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-diesel-knock.htm)
(http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/researchdevelopment/a/cetane.htm)