The Infrared Revolution: Supernovae with the James Webb Space Telescope
Speaker: Chris Ashall (University of Hawaii, Manoa)
Abstract:
The recent Launch of the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed our understanding of supernovae (SNe) explosions. In this talk I will present some of the most exciting JWST-SNe results from the MidInfared SuperNovA Collaboration (MIRSNAC). To date, MIRSNAC has been awarded over 400 hours of JWST time through 15 successful proposals spread over the first 5 cycles. I will present the first ever JWST observations of type Ia SNe (SNe Ia) and core collapse SNe (CC SNe). For CC SN, I will show observations of the SNe II: 2022acko, 2023ixf, and 2024ggi, the SN Ic: 2023dbc, and the SN Ib: 2024ahv. Where I will demonstrate how JWST data can be used to as a path way to understand the formation, composition, and evolution of molecules and dust produced in the ejecta. For SNe Ia, I will present JWST observations of SN 2021aefx and SN 2022xkq, where I will show how JWST data can be used to accurately measure the mass of the primary white dwarf, as well as chemical asphericities within the explosion. Finally I will project forward and discuss what future scheduled JWST-SNe observations will tell us.