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: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=588196
• 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方案是双重的。首先，我计划开发先进的天文仪器和新设备，特别是基于微阵列（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。这些新仪器和设备一旦研制成功，将是我们进行天文观测的一个重要进步。沿着仪器的开发，我计划以超新星（SNe）和超新星遗迹（SNRs）的观测为中心进行研究。对于前者，我将专注于早期的SNe和罕见的类型，使用一个新的强大的设施，提供前所未有的24小时连续天空覆盖。对于后者，我的努力将在于理解核合成和元素生产的核心塌陷SNe通过近红外（NIR）光谱的喷出物在SNRs。我希望我的项目的最终结果能给我们带来天文学观测能力的显著提高，并更好地了解SNe如何爆炸以及元素如何爆炸，包括那些对生命不可或缺的元素（例如，磷），生产。学生和博士后研究员的参与是拟议研究取得成功的一个必不可少的组成部分。 “先进仪器”：首先，我计划利用CFI最近的资金开发的基于MSA的IRMOS，将首次为我们带来与大型望远镜的宽视场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。我们将使用一个备用的MSA作为计划中的IRMOS的重新成像望远镜焦平面上的可重新配置的源选择器，这将使我们能够同时进行光谱观测~100个物体。其次，近年来纳米光纤和光子学领域的快速发展使得制作具有亚波长结构的任意控制光子偏振态的光栅成为可能。这些光栅，所谓的偏振光栅，在宽光谱范围内提供几乎100%的衍射效率（例如，可见于NIR）。我的研究生和我正在设计这些光栅用于天文应用（例如，观测高红移SNe），这可能会彻底改变天文光谱学的效率。此外，我预计将在2014年春夏委托我开发的另外两台近红外光谱仪：近红外中阶梯光谱仪和宽积分场红外光谱仪。 “观察性研究”：我最近领导了一个国际团队，在2014-2018年获得了KMTNet设施总观测时间的约30%，用于专门的SN观测。KMTNet是一个由分布在南半球三个不同国家的三台新的1.6米直径宽视场光学望远镜组成的网络。由于连续24小时的天空覆盖，它非常适合研究早期SNe和罕见类型，这可以大大提高我们对SNe如何爆炸的理解。结合SNe的研究，我非常感兴趣的近红外光谱研究的SN喷出物在年轻的SNRs使用的摄谱仪，我已经建立。NIR波段富含元素的跃迁（即，Fe，S，Si，P，He等）的近红外光谱研究表明，近红外光谱不仅能提供化学信息，而且能提供动力学信息，对SN核合成和爆炸机制的研究具有重要意义。因此，我计划对SNe和SNR进行观测。