The Lick Observatory Supernova Search, and Detailed Studies of Nearby Supernovae

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AST-0307894FilippenkoSupernovae (SN) represent the final, explosive stage in the evolution of certain varieties of stars, and because they influence a wide range of other phenomena from star formation to cosmic rays, they are clearly among the most interesting and important constituents of the Universe. This project will continue the efforts of a strong and productive team, working to improve the understanding of SN progenitor stars, explosion mechanisms, and nucleosynthetic products, mostly via observations, but with some theoretical modeling via informal collaborations. The results will have broad implications for topics as diverse as the chemical evolution of galaxies, the birthrate of pulsars, the masses of black holes, the nature of gamma-ray bursts, and cosmology. The world's most successful search for supernovae in nearby galaxies will continue, using the robotic imaging telescope (KAIT) at Lick Observatory, enabling special attention to be paid to the generally neglected, very early stages of SN development. Spectropolarimetry will for the first time be applied to a large number of SN, revealing shapes and internal structures.The results will reach a broad and diverse audience through the PI's very extensive popular articles and lectures. The PI will continue his exemplary commitment to public outreach through radio, television, newspaper and magazine interviews, and educational videos and TV documentaries. There will also be updates of his introductory astronomy course, its video version (thorough The Teaching Company), and his co-authored textbook. Expect to see continued heavy involvement of graduate, undergraduate, and increasingly high school, students in this exciting, forefront research, with significant participation by members of generally under-represented groups.