[phas-dept] Friday 3PM Colloqium

[Kent Montgomery]

Just a reminder that we have our third candidate, Stella Kafka, of four
coming to campus tomorrow, Friday the 18th of October. The title of her
talk and a short abstract is given below. The talk will be at 3 pm in
room 127.

 

Title: Unveiling the elusive Supernova Ia progenitors

Abstract: Although the identification of the progenitors of type Ia
Supernovae (SNeIa) remains controversial, it is generally accepted that
they originate from binary star systems in which at least one component
is a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (WD); those systems are grouped under the
wide umbrella of cataclysmic variables (CVs). Current theories for SNeIa
progenitors hold that, either via Roche lobe overflow of the companion
or via a wind, the WD accumulates Hydrogen or Helium rich material which
is then burned to C and O onto the WD's surface. However, the specifics
of this scenario are far from being understood or defined, allowing for
a wealth of theories fighting for attention and a dearth of observations
to support them. I discuss the latest attempts to identify and study
those controversial SNeIa progenitors. I also introduce the most
promising progenitor in hand and I present observational diagnostics
that can reveal more members of the category.

 

Kent Montgomery, Ph.D.

Physics and Astronomy Department

Astronomy/Physics Professor

Planetarium Director

Texas A&M University-Commerce

 

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