Nearby Supernovae: Discovery at Birth and Follow-up Studies

阿列克谢·菲利彭科博士和他的学生将进行一项广泛的、多方面的调查，以发现和描述大量的超新星，这些超新星是某些类型的恒星的爆炸性死亡。超新星合成并排出重元素，从而决定了星系的大部分化学演化。超新星喷出物穿过星际介质，加热星际介质，产生星系喷泉等现象。来自超新星的冲击波也可能通过压缩致密的分子云而引发恒星形成的猛烈爆发。超新星可能是宇宙中一些能量最高的宇宙射线产生的原因。某些类型的超新星对测量数十亿光年外星系的距离非常有用，在确定宇宙的年龄、全球结构和演化方面发挥着至关重要的作用。该项目将继续菲利彭科博士团队的努力，以提高对不同类型超新星的前驱恒星、爆炸机制、核合成产物和宇宙学用途的理解。所采用的方法主要是观察性的，再加上通过几次非正式合作进行的理论建模。一个新的主要目标是在爆炸后不久发现超新星。为了改进超新星在宇宙学中的应用，并获得超新星先驱的物理性质的线索，将收集现有和新的数据。这项研究的结果将对星系的化学演化、黑洞的质量、伽马射线爆发的性质和宇宙的膨胀等主题产生广泛的影响。结果将向广大受众传播，包括向学生和普通公众传播。计划的活动包括学生到Lick天文台的旅行，以及制作一个12集的关于黑洞的视频课程。

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.