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Title: Polarized lines illuminate the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae
Polarized emission and absorption lines in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) trace detailed structures in the ejecta and surrounding circumstellar medium (CSM) that contain clues to the end stages of their progenitors’ lives as massive stars. Extracting this geometrical information, however, requires careful computational modeling that takes into account the 3-D distribution of the ejecta and CSM and the potentially polarizing nature of line scattering. I present the results of such modeling for several CCSNe with multi-epoch polarization observations obtained by the Supernova Spectropolarimetry Project with the SPOL spectropolarimeter. In the cases of “interacting supernovae,” time-variable line polarization can constrain the shape and density of the surrounding CSM, yielding valuable information about the progenitor’s late-stage mass loss episodes. In stripped-envelope supernovae, it provides new, quantitative evidence for the asymmetric nature of the explosions and the possible role of binary companions in shaping the supernova ejecta.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2009996
NSF-PAR ID:
10288551
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Astropol 2020: New Era of Multiwavelength Polarimetry
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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