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Gemini as the Ultimate Time Domain Follow-up Machine: Understanding the Nearest Cosmic Explosions

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Approved LLPs

Principle Investigators: David Sand, University of Arizona, Department of Astronomy, Tucson, AZ, USA
Jennifer Andrews, Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab (North), Hilo, HI, USA

Program Summary:

Supernovae are not only the endpoints for stellar deaths, but are also important cosmological probes and cosmic recyclers. Understanding their progenitors and evolution is crucial to understanding many facets of astrophysics. Here we propose for an ambitious but indispensable Large and Long Program to follow ~20 supernova in exquisite temporal and spectral detail from explosion to the nebular phase with both Gemini-N and Gemini-S. We request 260 hours spread over 6 semesters and both sites to obtain high cadence early ToO observations of nearby (<25 Mpc) SNe using GMOS, GNIRS, F2, GHOST, and MAROON-X. From this program a golden dataset will be collected that will help us better understand cosmic explosions, and inform theoretical models. This proposal also coincides with the first light of LSST, making it a powerful tool for Rubin followup.


Co-Investigators:

  • Azalee Bostroem: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Collin Christy: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Yize Dong: University of California, Davis
  • Noah Franz: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Sebastian Gomez: STScI
  • Emily Hoang: University of California, Davis
  • Daichi Hiramatsu: Harvard University
  • Andy Howell: Las Cumbres Observatory
  • Griffin Hozzeinzadeh: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Brian Hsu: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Daryl Janzen: University of Saskatchewan
  • Saurabh Jha: Rutgers University
  • Lindsey Kwok: Rutgers University
  • Michael Lundquist: W M Keck Observatory
  • Curtis McCully: Las Cumbres Observatory
  • Nicolas Meza Retamal: University of California, Davis
  • Jeniveve Pearson: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Craig Pellegrino: University of Virginia
  • Aravind Pazhayath Ravi: University of California, Davis
  • Mathieu Renzo: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Jeonghee Rho: SETI Institute
  • Manisha Shrestha: University of Arizona (Astronomy)
  • Bhagya Subrayan: Purdue University
  • Stefano Valenti: University of California, Davis
  • Quinin Wang:Johns Hopkins University