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

Hoeflich博士和他的合作者将对Ia型超新星爆炸进行理论研究。这些被归因于白矮星，它们从双星伴星那里吸积物质。这个项目将研究爆炸的初始阶段以及快速膨胀的物质与吸积盘的相互作用。主要目标将是确定可以用光谱观察到的相互作用的特征。研究人员还预计，在该项目下开发的计算技术可以用于其他类型的超新星和恒星合并的研究。Ia型超新星已经被用来确定到遥远星系的距离尺度，这揭示了宇宙中存在着重要的“暗能量”成分。该奖项下的研究活动将有助于劳动力发展和学生培训，并将有助于建立佛罗里达州立大学的天体物理学项目，该项目成立于2006年。该项目正在与附近的中学生开展外展活动。

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.