Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Joint Astrophysics Seminar

New Insights into the Physics of Supernovae and their Remnants::
A Comprehensive X-ray Study of SN 1572

John Hughes

Rutgers

In 1572 Tycho Brahe observed a new star in the constellation Cassiopeia. The remnant of this supernova, widely believed to be of Type Ia origin, is now a beautiful, nearly circular shell of hot gas about 6 pc in diameter. I will talk about recent work on the Tycho supernova remnant based on Chandra X-ray data that addresses aspects of Type Ia supernova physics, the evolution of young supernova remnants, and shock acceleration of cosmic rays.