Observational and Experimental Studies of Compact Objects and Supernova Remnants

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I propose to carry out observational and experimental studies of compact objects and supernova remnants. Compact objects are basically black holes and neutron stars, and provide rare chances for studying the physics of extreme conditions such as general relativity the physics of ultra-strong magnetic fields and superfluids, and supernova explosions. These objects are often found in X-ray binaries where they accrete material from a mass-donating companion star. In this proposal, I specifically plan to carry out multi-faceted studies of the newly-discovered (since 2003), highly-obscured X-ray binaries using both ground- and space-based telescopes to understand their nature. Supernova remnants, which are formed by the shock interaction of the supernova blast waves with the nearby interstellar medium, determines the global evolution of the interstellar medium and serve as the prototypical laboratory for studying the shocks. I propose to carry out a large infrared survey program of supernova remnants using the Astro-F satellite as well as ground-based telescopes. This extensive program will offer us a unique opportunity to study supernova remnants and related objects. All these observational efforts will be complemented by experimental and instrumentation efforts as necessary, appropriate, and feasible.Involvement of graduate students will be central to this effort. This will include building a new near-IR imaging spectrograph with unprecedented spectral coverage and resolution and also a high-speed near-IR camera optimized for detecting near-IR pulsations of young pulsars.