Theory and Observations of Supernovae

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Wheeler, J. Craig" Theory and Observation of Supernovae "AST- 0098644There is a renewed interest in cosmology with the evidence that supernovae, when used as distance indicators, may point to a finite cosmological constant and an accelerating expansion of the universe. In addition, there has been a recent link between a supernova and a gamma-ray burst. Understanding the different types of supernovae has thus become more important than ever before. In this award, three major themes concerning the observation and theory of supernovae will be pursued. The first is to understand better Type Ia supernovae and their application to measure cosmological distances. This will involve observations with the Hobby-Eberly telescope and infrared spectra obtained at other observatories. The second theme is to explore the polarization of supernovae and its implications about the asymmetry of supernova outbursts. The third major undertaking will be to construct theoretical models of the magnetohydrodynamic processes involved in core collapse that may produce jets and asymmetries of the sort observed.