UNC-CH Physics and Astronomy Thesis Proposal Presentation

Joshua Reding

“The Menagerie of ‘Failed’ Ia Supernovae”

Type Ia supernovae are among the most scientifically valuable objects in modern astronomy, as they hold applications for many different fields of inquiry. However, the nature of their progenitors remains a mystery; they arise either from a single white dwarf star gradually accreting mass from a companion, or from the merger of two white dwarfs. Should these progenitor systems lack the conditions necessary for supernova detonation, they may instead produce a variety of merger products, such as strongly magnetic, massive, and fast-rotating white dwarfs. These remnants often exhibit unexpected and interesting physics. I propose to use high-resolution spectral data from the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES)/Very Large Telescope (VLT; 8 m) and time-series spectroscopy from the Goodman Spectrograph/Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) 4.1 m telescope to investigate suspected white dwarf binary remnants, thereby improving white dwarf population models and placing constraints on type-Ia supernova progenitor systems.