published_or_final_version / Physics / Master / Master of Philosophy

Chemical elements synthesized in stars are released into the interstellar medium (ISM) from discrete and localized events such as supernova (SN) explosions and stellar winds. The efficiency of transport and mixing of the new nucleosynthesis products in the ISM determines the degree of chemical inhomogeneity in the galaxy, which is observable in objects of the same age, such as coeval stars and the ISM today. It also has implications for the transition from metal-poor to normal star formation in high-redshift galaxies. We develop a physical mixing model for chemical homogenization in the turbulent ISM of galaxies using modern theories and methods for passive scalar turbulence. A turbulent velocity field stretches, compresses and folds tracers into structures of smaller and smaller scales that can be homogenized faster by micro-scopic diffusivity, the only physical process that truly mixes. From a model that incorporates this physical process, an evolution equation for the probability distribution of the tracer concentration is derived. Including the processes of new metal release, infall of low metallicity gas and incorporation of metals into new stars in the equation, we establish a new approach to investigate chemical inhomogeneity in galaxies: a kinetic equation for the metallicity probability distribution function, containing all the 1-point statistical information of the metallicity fluctuations. Motivated by a recent interpretation of ultraviolet properties of high-redshift Lyman Break Galaxies, we apply this approach to study mixing of primordial gas in these galaxies and find that primordial gas can survive for ~ 100 Myr in the presence of continuous metal sources and turbulent mixing if the unlikely efficient mixing in SN shells is excluded. Recent observations show that the Galaxy has been extremely homogeneous during most of its history. In an attempt to understand the homogeneity using our approach, we find that standard chemical evolution models without infall give metallicity scatters consistent with observations while all the infall models produce scatters at least 5 times larger than observed. To avoid this discrepancy and to remain a valid solution to the G-dwarf problem, the main motivation for infall models, the infall gas is required to primarily consist of small clouds of size less than ~ 5 pc. Fluctuations in the carbon to oxygen abundance ratio are of astrobiological interest: regions with C>O are likely to be devoid of water, which is thought to be essential for life. A small degree of inhomogeneity in the ratio gives a finite probability for the existence of regions with C>O even when the average ratio is smaller than unity. As the mean C/O ratio increases, as supported by observations and theoretical models, the Galaxy will eventually make a transition from mostly oxygen-rich to mostly carbon-rich. To the extent that life requires liquid water, the formation of habitable planets would no longer be possible. Adopting a negative Galactic C/O radial gradient, the transition appears as an outward-moving dehydration wave from the inner regions of the Galaxy. Finally we examine the effect of turbulent stretching on nuclear flames in Type Ia Supernova (SN Ia) progenitors. Turbulent stretching exhibits strong intermittency at small scales where its probability distribution shows a broad tail, corresponding to intense but rare stretching events. These events have important implications for the flame burning state and thus for the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) in SN Ia explosions. Current DDT models require a critical turbulent intensity or stretching over a flame region that is sufficiently large. We find that including local intermittent stretching in these models results in a shift toward larger transition densities at which the DDT occurs. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-143).

We present photometry and spectroscopy of PS1-14bj, a hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova (SLSN) at redshift z = 0.5215 discovered in the last months of the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey. PS1-14bj stands out because of its extremely slow evolution, with an observed rise of greater than or similar to 125 rest-frame days, and exponential decline out to similar to 250 days past peak at a measured rate of 0.01 mag day(-1), consistent with fully trapped Co-56 decay. This is the longest rise time measured in an SLSN to date, and the first SLSN to show a rise time consistent with pair-instability supernova (PISN) models. Compared to other slowly evolving SLSNe, it is spectroscopically similar to the prototype SN 2007bi at maximum light, although lower in luminosity (L-peak similar or equal to 4.6 x 10(43) erg s(-1) ) and with a flatter peak than previous events. PS1-14bj shows a number of peculiar properties, including a near-constant color temperature for > 200 days past peak, and strong emission lines from [O III] lambda 5007 and [O III] lambda 4363 with a velocity width of similar to 3400 km s(-1) in its late-time spectra. These both suggest there is a sustained source of heating over very long timescales, and are incompatible with a simple Ni-56-powered/PISN interpretation. A modified magnetar model including emission leakage at late times can reproduce the light curve, in which case the blue continuum and [O III] features are interpreted as material heated and ionized by the inner pulsar wind nebula becoming visible at late times. Alternatively, the late-time heating could be due to interaction with a shell of H-poor circumstellar material.

We present spectropolarimetric observations of the nearby Type Ia supernova SN 2014J in M82 over six epochs: +0, +7, +23, +51, +77, +109, and +111 days with respect to B-band maximum. The strong continuum polarization, which is constant with time, shows a wavelength dependence unlike that produced by linear dichroism in Milky Way dust. The observed polarization may be due entirely to interstellar dust or include a circumstellar scattering component. We find that the polarization angle aligns with the magnetic field of the host galaxy, arguing for an interstellar origin. Additionally, we confirm a peak in polarization at short wavelengths that would imply R-V < 2 along the light of sight, in agreement with earlier polarization measurements. For illustrative purposes, we include a two-component fit to the continuum polarization of our +51-day epoch that combines a circumstellar scattering component with interstellar dust where scattering can account for over half of the polarization at 4000 angstrom. Upon removal of the interstellar polarization signal, SN 2014J exhibits very low levels of continuum polarization. Asymmetries in the distribution of elements within the ejecta are visible through moderate levels of time-variable polarization in accordance with the Si II lambda 6355 absorption line. At maximum light, the line polarization reaches similar to 0.6% and decreases to similar to 0.4% 1 week later. This feature also forms a loop on theqRSP-uRSP plane, illustrating that the ion does not have an axisymmetric distribution. The observed polarization properties suggest that the explosion geometry of SN 2014J is generally spheroidal with a clumpy distribution of silicon.

We present optical/near-infrared spectroscopy and photometry of the supernova (SN) PS15si. This object was originally identified as a Type IIn SN, but here we argue that it should be reclassified as a Type Ia SN with narrow hydrogen lines originating from interaction with circumstellar matter (CSM; i.e. SN Ia/IIn or SN Ia-CSM). Based on deep non-detections 27 d before discovery, we infer that this SN was discovered around or slightly before optical maximum, and we estimate the approximate time that it reached R-band maximum based on comparison with other SNe Ia/IIn. In terms of spectral morphology, we find that PS15si can be matched to a range of SN Ia spectral types, although SN 1991T-like SNe Ia provides the most self-consistent match. While this spectral classification agrees with analysis of most other SNe Ia/IIn, we find that the implied CSM-interaction luminosity is too low. We infer that the similarity between PS15si and the hot, overluminous, high-ionization spectrum of SN 1991T is a consequence of a spectrum that originates in ejecta layers that are heated by ultraviolet/X-ray radiation from CSM interaction. In addition, PS15si may have rebrightened over a short time-scale in the B and V bands around 85 d after discovery, perhaps indicating that the SN ejecta are interacting with a local enhancement in CSM produced by clumps or a shell at large radii.

Due to its proximity, SN. 1987A offers a unique opportunity to directly observe the geometry of a stellar explosion as it unfolds. Here we present spectral and imaging observations of SN. 1987A obtained similar to 10,000 days after the explosion with HST/STIS and VLT/SINFONI at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. These observations allow us to produce the most detailed 3D map of Ha to date, the first 3D maps for [Ca II] lambda lambda 7292, 7324, [O I] lambda lambda 6300, 6364, and Mg. II lambda lambda 9218, 9244, as well as new maps for [Si I]+[Fe II] 1.644 mu m and He I 2.058 mu m. A comparison with previous observations shows that the [Si I]+[Fe II] flux and morphology have not changed significantly during the past ten years, providing evidence that this line is powered by Ti-44. The time evolution of Ha shows that it is predominantly powered by X-rays from the ring, in agreement with previous findings. All lines that have sufficient signal show a similar large-scale 3D structure, with a north-south asymmetry that resembles a broken dipole. This structure correlates with early observations of asymmetries, showing that there is a global asymmetry that extends from the inner core to the outer envelope. On smaller scales, the two brightest lines, Ha and [Si I]+[Fe II] 1.644 mu m, show substructures at the level of similar to 200-1000 km s(-1) and clear differences in their 3D geometries. We discuss these results in the context of explosion models and the properties of dust in the ejecta.

We compare analytic predictions of supernova light curves with recent high-quality data from SN2011fe (Ia), KSN2011b (Ia), and the Palomar Transient Factory and the La Silla-QUEST variability survey (LSQ) (Ia). Because of the steady, fast cadence of observations, KSN2011b provides unique new information on SNe Ia: the smoothness of the light curve, which is consistent with significant large-scale mixing during the explosion, possibly due to 3D effects (e.g., Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities), and provides support for a slowly varying leakage (mean opacity). For a more complex light curve (SN2008D, SN Ib), we separate the luminosity due to multiple causes and indicate the possibility of a radioactive plume. The early rise in luminosity is shown to be affected by the opacity (leakage rate) for thermal and non-thermal radiation. A general derivation of Arnett's rule again shows that it depends upon all processes heating the plasma, not just radioactive ones, so that SNe Ia will differ from SNe Ibc if the latter have multiple heating processes.

The explosion of massive stars involves the formation of a shock wave. In stars that develop iron cores, this shock wave stalls on its way out due to neutrino emission and the breakup of heavy nuclei flowing through the shock. For the explosion to succeed, a fraction of the gravitational binding energy of the collapsed core that is radiated in neutrinos needs to be absorbed by the material below the shock. How much energy is needed depends on the interplay between non-spherical hydrodynamic instabilities, neutrino heating, and nuclear dissociation. This thesis seeks to understand this interplay through numerical experiments that model the key physical components of the system and separate them out to examine their individual effects. Specifically, one- and two-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamic simulations are performed to study the effects of non-spherical shock oscillations, neutrino-driven convection, and alpha particle recombination on the dynamics of the system and the critical heating rate for explosion. We find that nuclear dissociation has a significant effect on the linear stability and saturation amplitude of shock oscillations. At the critical neutrino heating rate for an explosion, convection due to a negative entropy gradient plays a major role in driving dipolar shock motions. One dimensional explosions are due to a global instability involving the advection of entropy perturbations from the shock to the region where the accretion flow cools due to neutrino emission. Large scale shock expansions in two-dimensions are due to a finite amplitude instability involving the balance between buoyancy forces and the ram pressure of the flow upstream of the shock. During these expansions, a significant amount of energy is released when nucleons recombine into alpha particles, constituting a significant last step in the transition to explosion. The critical neutrino heating rate for an explosion depends sensitively on the starting radius of the shock relative to the radius at which the binding energy of an alpha particle is comparable to the gravitational binding energy.