Analyzing Light Curves of Core Collapse Supernovae
Faculty Mentor Name
Michele Zanolin
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Light curves from core‑collapse supernovae (CCSNe) have been used within the LIGO collaboration to estimate the moment when the shock front emerges from the stellar surface. However, the broader potential of CCSNe light curves includes estimations of physical properties of the progenitor star derived from the luminosity data, which has yet to be worked through by the LIGO collaboration. This project advances that direction by employing light curves generated from explicit physical models of electromagnetic emission developed by Eli Waxman (Weizmann Institute of Science) and Chris Freyer (Los Alamos National Laboratory).
Although these models provide detailed predictions, they contain ambiguities in which different combinations of the input parameters generate the same light curve. This means that if we use the process of matching an observed light curve with a theoretical one to estimate the input parameters like the mass of the progenitor, it will have ambiguities as well that we need to understand and quantify. The project goal is to interpolate these light curves with the physically generated curves from the models of Waxman and Freyer and extract possible data about the physical properties of the progenitor. A database of roughly thirty-five CCSNe light curves of interest will be analyzed using a Chi‑Square error fit to identify the best‑fit physical models and quantify parameter uncertainties and ambiguities. The outcome of this work will be a publicly accessible journal publication with hopes of improving the understanding of CCSNe and improving the data obtained through gravitational wave searched.
Analyzing Light Curves of Core Collapse Supernovae
Light curves from core‑collapse supernovae (CCSNe) have been used within the LIGO collaboration to estimate the moment when the shock front emerges from the stellar surface. However, the broader potential of CCSNe light curves includes estimations of physical properties of the progenitor star derived from the luminosity data, which has yet to be worked through by the LIGO collaboration. This project advances that direction by employing light curves generated from explicit physical models of electromagnetic emission developed by Eli Waxman (Weizmann Institute of Science) and Chris Freyer (Los Alamos National Laboratory).
Although these models provide detailed predictions, they contain ambiguities in which different combinations of the input parameters generate the same light curve. This means that if we use the process of matching an observed light curve with a theoretical one to estimate the input parameters like the mass of the progenitor, it will have ambiguities as well that we need to understand and quantify. The project goal is to interpolate these light curves with the physically generated curves from the models of Waxman and Freyer and extract possible data about the physical properties of the progenitor. A database of roughly thirty-five CCSNe light curves of interest will be analyzed using a Chi‑Square error fit to identify the best‑fit physical models and quantify parameter uncertainties and ambiguities. The outcome of this work will be a publicly accessible journal publication with hopes of improving the understanding of CCSNe and improving the data obtained through gravitational wave searched.