GOALS AND OBJECTIVESMASS LOSS IN EVOLVED MASSIVE STARS IS ONE OF THE LEAST UNDERSTOOD YET FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF STELLAR EVOLUTION. HOW AND WHEN DO MASSIVE STARS LOSE THEIR H-ENVELOPES? THIS CENTRAL QUESTION MOTIVATES THIS PROPOSAL. WE REQUEST NUSTAR OBSERVATIONS TO MAP THE UNIQUE SITUATION OF THE INTERACTION OF AN H-STRIPPED SN2014C WITH AN H-RICH SHELL EJECTED BY ITS PROGENITOR STAR AS PART OF OUR RADIO-TOGAMMA-RAY FOLLOW-UP. OUR GOAL IS TO CONSTRAIN THE DENSITY AND PROXIMITY OF THE EJECTED MATERIAL AND HENCE THE MASS-LOSS HISTORY OF THE PROGENITOR STAR. UNLIKE ALL THE OTHER H-STRIPPED SNE THE RADIO AND X-RAY EMISSION OF SN14C IS STILL INCREASING AT T GREATER THAN 300 DAYS GIVING US THE UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO MAP THE DENSITY PROFILE OF THE EJECTED MATERIAL AND CONSTRAIN THE EPOCH OF ITS EJECTION IN FINE DETAIL.
$35,512FY2017National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
Northwestern University, Evanston IL