|
The First Stars and Galaxies: Challenges for the Next Decade Participants
Contact: |
Talk
Title: Models and Observations of Pair Instability Supernovae Author(s): Daniel Kasen Abstract: For the initial mass range (140 < M < 260 Msun) stars die in a thermonuclear runaway triggered by the pair-production instability. The supernovae they make can be remarkably energetic and synthesize considerable amounts of radioactive isotopes. I present a new set of calculations modeling the evolution, explosion, and observational signatures of pair-instability supernovae which span a range of initial masses and envelope structures. I compare the resulting light curves and spectra to recent observations of luminous nearby supernovae, including the most compelling candidate pair instability event to date, SN2007bi. Based on the models, I discuss the potential for detecting similar events at much higher redshifts.
|