Red after Dead – Understanding the Progenitors of "Cool" Explosions
Prof. Adam Miller
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Northwestern University
In this talk I will discuss open questions in our quest to develop a map between progenitor systems and supernova explosions. Solving the puzzle has important ramifications for understanding the chemical enrichment of the Universe and galactic evolution and feedback. I will highlight Type Ia supernovae and discuss an exquisite set of observations obtained by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). From the early observations we can constrain the progenitors, and we have recently identified a new subclass of peculiar Type Ia supernovae that comes from a unique progenitor channel. To close I will discuss a new project, the La Silla Southern Sky Survey (LS4). LS4 is upgrading the Quest camera to fill the 20 sq. deg. focal plane with red-sensitive LBNL CCDs to conduct a new time-domain survey. This instrument is uniquely sensitive to red transients in the local universe, including (hopefully) the optical counterparts to gravitational wave events.
Hosted by Dr. Lehner