Interaction of Type Ia Supernovae with their Environment and Implications for Cosmology

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Dr. Hoeflich and his collaborators will conduct a theoretical study of supernova explosions of the Ia type. These have been attributed to white dwarf stars which accrete material from a binary companion. This project will study the initial phases of the explosion and the interaction of the rapidly expanding material with the accretion disk. The principal goal will be to identify signatures of the interaction that can be observed spectroscopically. The researchers also anticipate that computational techniques developed under this project can be used for other types of supernovae and for the study of stellar mergers.Type Ia supernovae have been used to determine the distance scale to distant galaxies, which has revealed the presence of a significant 'dark energy' component to the universe. The research activities under this award will contribute to workforce development and student training, and will help build the astrophysics program at Florida State University, which was established in 2006. This program has ongoing outreach activities with nearby middle school students.