New Observational Constraints on Thermonuclear Supernovae

热核超新星观测的新限制

• 批准号: 1009464
• 负责人: Peter Hoeflich
• 金额: $ 37.13万
• 依托单位: Florida State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-10-01 至 2015-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1009464&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: New; Observational; Constraints; Thermonuclear; Supernovae

This award will support an observational program to address a number of new and long-standing problems of thermonuclear supernovae. This program will involve the coordinated observation of nearby supernovae with optical and near-infrared spectrographs on 4m and 8m class telescopes at both early times (first month or so after explosion) and at late epochs (6-12 months after explosion). To complement the spectral observations, high-cadence (roughly nightly) photometric light curves of the target supernovae will also be obtained using the 2m robotic Liverpool Telescope. The analysis will make use of results from optical spectropolarimetry in an ongoing international campaign. The program will also benefit from a close relationship with theoretical and numerical work on thermonuclear supernovae being conducted at Florida State University.The study of thermonuclear supernovae is important to a number of branches of astrophysics. These supernovae represent the end state of the evolution of certain low-mass binary star systems. They significantly affect the energy balance and chemical evolution of the interstellar medium, and are astrophysical laboratories for nuclear physics in exotic regimes. They are among the brightest events in the universe, and exhibit a homogeneity that makes them the premier tools for measuring extragalactic distances. They have played a central role in the discovery of the acceleration of the expansion of the universe and have a key role in attempts to constrain the nature of dark energy.This project will also support ongoing efforts to build astrophysics research at Florida State University (FSU). As a part of this effort, the department has launched a new undergraduate major in Physics and Astrophysics. The undergraduate population of FSU is diverse, roughly 25% minority students, 57% women, and also containing a high proportion of first generation college students. The astrophysics group hopes to attract these students to astrophysics through a combination of strong teaching and undergraduate research opportunities, including research in this project. The physics department has a strong tradition of outreach with active programs working to provide educational materials to K-12 schools and an on-site planetarium.

这一奖项将支持一项观测计划，以解决一些新的和长期存在的热核超新星问题。该计划将包括在早期(爆炸后第一个月左右)和晚期(爆炸后6-12个月)利用4M和8M级望远镜上的光学和近红外光谱仪对附近的超新星进行协调观测。为了补充光谱观测，还将使用2M机器人利物浦望远镜获得目标超新星的高节奏(大约每晚)光度学曲线。这项分析将利用一项正在进行的国际运动中的光学光谱偏振测量结果。该计划还将受益于与佛罗里达州立大学正在进行的关于热核超新星的理论和数值工作的密切关系。对热核超新星的研究对天体物理学的许多分支都很重要。这些超新星代表了某些低质量双星系统演化的终结状态。它们显著影响星际介质的能量平衡和化学演化，是奇异区域核物理的天体物理实验室。它们是宇宙中最明亮的事件之一，并且表现出一种同质性，这使它们成为测量河外距离的首要工具。他们在发现宇宙加速膨胀的过程中发挥了核心作用，并在试图限制暗能量的性质方面发挥了关键作用。该项目还将支持佛罗里达州立大学(FSU)正在进行的天体物理学研究。作为这一努力的一部分，该系开设了一个新的本科生专业，即物理学和天体物理学。佛罗里达州立大学的本科生是多元化的，大约25%的少数民族学生，57%的女性，也包含了很高比例的第一代大学生。天体物理学小组希望通过强大的教学和本科生研究机会的结合，包括这个项目的研究，来吸引这些学生学习天体物理。物理系有着强大的外展传统，积极开展项目，为K-12学校提供教材，并在现场建立天文馆。