Profile Analysis of Polarized Lines in Interacting Supernovae
Jennifer
L. Hoffman, Peter Nugent, & Alexei V. Filippenko |
| Most supernovae that interact with their circumstellar material possess strong Hα emission lines, but the shapes of these lines vary widely both over time and from object to object. The line polarization profiles in these supernovae are similarly complex and not well understood. Analyzing H alpha line shapes in both direct and polarized light can provide detailed information on the geometries of the ejecta and the CSM in these objects and lead to a better understanding of their progenitors' mass loss. We present a method of profile analysis aimed at identifying key diagnostics in the polarized Hα emission lines of interacting supernovae. We also compare results of this analysis between observational data and the output from numerical models in which the polarization arises via electron scattering in the CSM. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center. |
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For more information, please send email to Jennifer. November 13, 2008 |