Seminar by Erez Zimmerman, Weizmann Institute
The nearest supernovae offer a unique window into the final evolutionary stages and properties of their progenitor stars, while also constraining the physics of the explosions themselves. In this talk, I will focus on the decadal Type II SN 2023ixf in M101. By studying the nearby SN 2023ixf across the electromagnetic spectrum - including the first UV flash spectra of a Type II supernova - we have developed a framework for mapping the circumstellar material (CSM) around the exploding star. Observations at different wavelengths probe different sections of the CSM: UV-optical photometry traces the confined, dense CSM that extends the SN shock breakout, while X-rays trace the thinner extended wind beyond it. Together, these observations allow us to reconstruct the progenitor's final mass-loss episodes. I will further discuss how this framework can be expanded to more distant SNe, using observations from upcoming missions such as Ultrasat and UVEX which will allow us to gather statistics on the distribution of CSM around interacting SNe.
Host: Kishalay De