Date

Speaker

Title

Aug 28

Edward Robinson

University of Texas at Austin

Organizational meeting.

Sep 4

No talk scheduled.

Sep 11

No talk scheduled.

Sep 18

Cynthia Froning

University of Texas at Austin

"Accretion and Outflows in Black Hole X-ray Binaries: Multiwavelength Observations of Swift J1753.5-0127"

Sep 25

Howie Marion

University of Texas at Austin

"Supernova Observations at Near-IR Wavelengths"

Oct 2

Harriet Dinerstein

Affiliation: TBA

"The Hidden Chemical Diversity of Planetary Nebulae"

Oct 9

No talk scheduled, to avoid conflict with the Bashfest 2013 Symposium (on 7-8 October).

Oct 16

Sagi Ben-Ami

Weizmann University, Israel

"Massive star explosions: New results, New instruments"

abstract

Oct 23

Bill Cochran

University of Texas at Austin

"Planets and the Galactic Thick Disk"

Oct 30

Kevin Gullikson

University of Texas at Austin

Talk rescheduled to next week, due to bogus fire alarm in the building.

Nov 6

Kevin Gullikson

University of Texas at Austin

"Searching for Disk-Born Binary Systems"

Nov 13

Natalie Gosnell

University of Wisconsin, Madison

"The Mass-Transfer Formation of Blue Stragglers as Revealed by their White Dwarf Companions"

abstract

Nov 20

Iair Arcavi

Weizmann Institute of Science / Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope

"Revealing Core Collapse Supernova Progenitors Without Seeing Them"

Core collapse supernovae (SNe) comprise a diverse class of events. Identifying the progenitors responsible for this heterogeneity is still an outstanding problem, hindering progress towards understanding the explosion mechanisms of these events. Direct progenitor detections are limited to few nearby cases, and this method has so far only robustly established the connection between red supergiants and Type IIP SNe. Statistical methods, on the other hand, allow for constraints to be put on progenitor scenarios of several SN types, with large samples illuminating certain aspects of the roles of binarity, mass and metallicity. In addition, new surveys such as iPTF are finding supernovae at very early times, a mere hours to days after the explosion. Observations on these timescales can probe the shock cooling emission, constraining the progenitor radius, the explosion physics and even nickel mixing. Together, these methods are teaching us about the progenitors of many core collapse events, and shedding light on the the causes of their diversity.

close

Nov 27

No talk scheduled, to avoid conflict with Thanksgiving holiday.

Dec 4

David L. Lambert

Director, McDonald Observatory

"Dust-Gas Winnowing: Joy or Dismay?"