| Speaker: | Robert Quimby (CalTech) |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Illuminating Deaths of Massive Stars |
| Date (JST): | Tue, May 25, 2010, 15:30 - 16:30 |
| Place: | Seminar Room A |
| Abstract: | A new class of stellar outbursts that dwarf the most powerful supernovae observed in the past century has recently been found. With peak luminosities in excess of 10e44 erg/s and total radiative outputs greater than 10e51 erg, these events push the limits of conventional supernova explosion theory. It is possible that these luminous supernovae are local analogs of the first stellar explosions to shape the universe. Their high (restframe) ultra-violet luminosities suggest that similar events may already be detectable with existing instrumentation out to redshifts of z~4 and that they will become valued tools for selecting and studying galaxies at even larger redshifts. In this talk, I will highlight some of the key discoveries in this emerging field and the prospects for future studies. |
| Contact: | Maeda |
