Advanced Astronomical Instrumentation and Observational Studies of Supernovae and Remnants

先进的天文仪器和超新星和遗迹的观测研究

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-05075
• 负责人: Moon, DaeSik
• 金额: $ 3.06万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=566935
• 关键词: Advanced; Astronomical; Instrumentation; Observational; Studies

The research programs proposed in this application are twofold. First, I plan to develop advanced astronomical instruments and novel devices, especially a microshtter array (MSA)-based infrared multi-object spectrograph (IRMOS) and polarization gratings, as well as the imminent commissioning of two other infrared spectrographs. These new instruments and device, once successfully developed, will be an important advancement in how we conduct astronomical observations. Along with the instrument development, I plan to conduct research centered on observations of supernovae (SNe) and supernova remnants (SNRs). For the former, I will focus on early SNe and rare types using a new powerful facility that provides the unprecedented 24-hour continuous sky coverage. For the latter, my efforts will lie on understanding nucleosyntheses and element production in core-collapse SNe via near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy of ejecta in SNRs. I hope that ultimately the results of my programs bring us significantly improved observational capabilities for astronomy and better understanding of how SNe explode and how elements, including those indispensable to life (e.g., phosphorous), are produced. The participation of students and postdoctoral fellows is an essential and inevitable component for the success of the proposed research. “Advanced Instrumentation”: First, the MSA-based IRMOS, which I plan to develop with recent funding from CFI, will bring us for the first time a fully reconfigurable multi-object spectroscopic capability compatible with wide field adaptive optics systems of large telescopes. I am collaborating with the NASA team that originally developed the MSA for the NIRSpec instrument on JWST to use the device for ground-based applications. We will use a spare MSA as a reconfigurable source selector at a reimaged telescope focal plane of the planned IRMOS, which will allow us simultaneous spectroscopic observations ~100 objects. Next, recent rapid developments in the fields of nanofabrication and photonics now make it possible to fabricate gratings that can arbitrarily manipulate photon’s polarization states with sub-wavelength structures. These gratings, so called polarization gratings, deliver an almost 100% diffraction efficiency over a broad spectral range (e.g., visible to NIR). My graduate student and I are designing these gratings for astronomical applications (e.g., observations of high-redshift SNe), which can potentially revolutionize the efficiency of astronomical spectroscopy. Additionally, I expect to commission in 2014 spring-summer two other NIR spectrographs that I have developed: Near Infrared Echelle Spectrograph and Wide Integral Field Infrared Spectrograph. “Observational Research”: I recently led an international team to acquire ~30% of the total observing time of the KMTNet facility in 2014-2018 for dedicated SN observations. The KMTNet is a network of three new wide-field optical telescopes of 1.6-m diameter spread over three different countries in the southern hemisphere. Thanks to the continuous 24-hour sky coverage, it is ideally and uniquely suited for studying early SNe and rare types, which can greatly improve our understanding of how SNe explode. Conjointly with the SNe research, I am deeply interested in NIR spectroscopic investigation of SN ejecta in young SNRs using the spectrographs that I have built. The NIR waveband is rich with transitions of the elements (i.e., Fe, S, Si, P, He, etc) heavily involved in the SN nucelosynthesis, and our recent studies have proven that NIR spectroscopy is extremely useful for understanding the SN necleosynthesis and explosion mechanism by providing both chemical and dynamical information. Therefore, I plan to conduct observations of both SNe and SNRs.

本申请中提出的研究计划有两个方面。首先，我计划开发先进的天文仪器和新设备，特别是基于微粉碎阵列(MSA)的红外多目标光谱仪(IRMOS)和偏振光栅，以及即将投入使用的另外两台红外光谱仪。这些新的仪器和装置一旦研制成功，将是我们如何进行天文观测的一个重要进步。随着仪器的发展，我计划进行以超新星(SNE)和超新星遗迹(SNR)观测为中心的研究。对于前者，我将重点关注早期SNE和稀有类型，使用一种新的强大设施，提供前所未有的24小时连续天空覆盖。对于后者，我的努力将在于通过SNRS抛射物的近红外(NIR)光谱来了解核坍塌SNE中的核合成和元素产生。我希望我的计划最终能给我们带来显著提高的天文观测能力，并更好地理解近地天体如何爆炸，以及包括那些对生命不可或缺的元素(例如磷)是如何产生的。学生和博士后研究员的参与是拟议研究成功的必要和不可避免的组成部分。“先进仪器”：首先，我计划利用CFI最近的资金开发基于MSA的IRMOS，它将首次为我们带来与大望远镜的广域自适应光学系统兼容的完全可重构的多目标光谱能力。我正在与最初为JWST上的NIRSpec仪器开发MSA的NASA团队合作，将该设备用于地面应用。我们将在计划中的IRMOS的重新成像望远镜焦平面上使用一个备用的MSA作为可重新配置的源选择器，这将允许我们同时观测大约100个天体。其次，最近在纳米制造和光子学领域的快速发展使得利用亚波长结构制造可以任意操纵光子偏振态的光栅成为可能。这些所谓的偏振光栅在很宽的光谱范围内(例如，近红外可见)提供了几乎100%的衍射效率。我和我的研究生正在为天文应用(例如，高红移SNE的观测)设计这些光栅，这可能会彻底改变天文光谱学的效率。此外，我预计将在2014年春夏投入使用我开发的另外两台近红外光谱仪：近红外回声光谱仪和广域积分红外光谱仪。《观测研究》：我最近带领一个国际团队获得了KMTNet设施2014-2018年总观测时间的~30%，用于专门的SN观测。KMTNet是由三个直径1.6米的新型广域光学望远镜组成的网络，分布在南半球的三个不同国家。由于24小时连续的天空覆盖，它是研究早期SNE和稀有类型的理想而独特的工具，这可以极大地提高我们对SNE如何爆炸的理解。与SNE的研究一起，我对使用我所建造的光谱仪研究年轻SNR中SN喷出物的近红外光谱非常感兴趣。近红外光谱包含了与SN核合成密切相关的元素(如Fe、S、Si、P、He等)的跃迁，我们最近的研究证明，近红外光谱提供了化学和动力学信息，对于理解SN的核合成和爆炸机理非常有用。因此，我计划对SNE和SNR进行观测。