Nearby Supernovae: Discovery at Birth and Follow-up Studies

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Alexei Filippenko and his students will undertake an extensive, multifaceted investigation to discover and characterize large numbers of supernovae, which are the explosive deaths of certain types of stars. Supernovae synthesize and expel heavy elements, thereby dictating much of the chemical evolution of galaxies. The ejecta of supernovae blast through the interstellar medium, heating it and giving rise to phenomena such as galactic fountains. Shock waves from supernovae may also trigger vigorous bursts of star formation through compression of dense molecular clouds. Supernovae are probably responsible for the production of some of the most energetic cosmic rays in the Universe. Certain types of supernovae are exceedingly useful for measuring distances of galaxies billions of light years away, and are playing a crucial role in determinations of the age, global structure, and evolution of the Universe. This project will continue the efforts of Dr. Filippenko's group to improve the understanding of the progenitor stars, explosion mechanisms, nucleosynthetic products, and cosmological utility of different types of supernovae. The adopted approach is largely observational, coupled with theoretical modeling through several informal collaborations. A new major goal is to discover supernovae very shortly after the explosion. Current and new data will be assembled for the purpose of improving the use of supernovae for cosmology and for obtaining clues to the physical nature of supernova progenitors. The results from this study will have broad implications for topics as diverse as the chemical evolution of galaxies, the masses of black holes, the nature of gamma-ray bursts, and the expansion of the Universe. Results will be disseminated to a broad audience, both to students and to the general public. Planned activities include student trips to Lick Observatory, and the production of a 12-episode video course on black holes.