NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2013A-0392
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2013A-0392 |
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PI: D. Andrew Howell, Las Cumbres Observatory / UC Santa Barbara, ahowell@lcogt.net
Address: 6740 Cortona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117, USA
CoI: Jerod Parrent, Las Cumbres Observatory / Dartmouth
CoI: Mark Sullivan, University of Oxford
CoI: Kate Maguire, University of Oxford
CoI: Peter Nugent, LBNL / UC Berkely
CoI: Benjamin Dilday, Las Cumbres Observatory / UC Santa Barbara
CoI: Melissa Graham, Las Cumbres Observatory / UC Santa Barbara
Title: Early-time observations of Type Ia supernovae to reveal progenitor material
Abstract:
SNe Ia remain nature's best standardized candles, and yet their progenitors
have long been a mystery. However, it is now clear that there is a
multiplicity of SN Ia progenitors. Recent findings that SNe Ia correct to
different absolute magnitudes in different mass galaxies may be related to
differing progenitors, and/or explosion physics. With this proposal we will
obtrain early GMOS spectroscopy of SNe a few days after explosion with three
main goals: (1) trigger our high resolution spectroscopy time on Keck HIRES
and VLT X-Shooter to search for circumstellar material indicative of a single
degenerate origin, (2) build the first well-controlled sample studying
unburned progenitor carbon in SNe Ia, testing whether this traces white dwarf
mergers or explosion physics (3) type SNe as early as possible to enable
follow-up observations and studies, including cosmology. Our results depend
on early-time observations for which the queue-scheduled Gemini is uniquely
suited.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2013A-0392 |
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