This talk will focus on two somewhat unusual types of shock dynamics associated with core-collapse supernovae:
1. "Bells, not whistles": Some massive stars appear to undergo shock-driven outbursts before their cores collapse. I will show that nonlinear acoustics rules out a standard explanation for how these events are driven, a result that deepens the mystery of their origin.
2. "Flares from Asphericity": Compact supernovae have a unique potential to make especially fast, even relativistic, surface flows, even if they are spherical. But they often are not spherical, and this fact has complicated consequences. I will discuss whether one consequence -- the collision of ejecta streams -- creates a new class of observable flare.
Bio:
I am a professor of theoretical astrophysics at the University of Toronto, working on the fluid dynamics of gravitational collapse and energetic feedback in:
- star and star cluster formation,
- molecular cloud evolution and the interstellar medium,
- black hole formation and accretion,
- stellar tidal disruptions,
- supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and related transients.
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2023-02-27T15:00:002023-02-27T16:00:00Unexpected Outbursts from Massive StarsEvent Information:
Abstract:
This talk will focus on two somewhat unusual types of shock dynamics associated with core-collapse supernovae:
1. "Bells, not whistles": Some massive stars appear to undergo shock-driven outbursts before their cores collapse. I will show that nonlinear acoustics rules out a standard explanation for how these events are driven, a result that deepens the mystery of their origin.
2. "Flares from Asphericity": Compact supernovae have a unique potential to make especially fast, even relativistic, surface flows, even if they are spherical. But they often are not spherical, and this fact has complicated consequences. I will discuss whether one consequence -- the collision of ejecta streams -- creates a new class of observable flare.
Bio:
I am a professor of theoretical astrophysics at the University of Toronto, working on the fluid dynamics of gravitational collapse and energetic feedback in:
- star and star cluster formation,
- molecular cloud evolution and the interstellar medium,
- black hole formation and accretion,
- stellar tidal disruptions,
- supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and related transients.
Learn more:
See Dr. Matzner's website here
Enjoy his list of "Resources for the ambitious undergraduate or beginning graduate researcher in Astronomy & Astrophysics" here!
Event Location:
HENN 318