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Date of Award

Spring 6-25-2019

Author's School

College of Arts & Sciences

Author's Program

Physics

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)

Restricted/Unrestricted

Restricted

Abstract

Supernovae and supernova remnants are salient astrophysical sources for their importance in nucleosynthesis, stellar evolution, cosmic ray synthesis, pulsar synthesis etc. Characterizing supernova remnants through their kinetics can potentially answer many astrophysical questions. The ubiquity of neutral hydrogen (HI) throughout the interstellar medium makes the 1420 MHz HI emission spectrum an excellent tool in studying supernova remnants. Shockwaves emanating from a supernova expand outwards, piling HI in the ISM in a massive ‘shell’. Thus, Doppler-shifted emission from the HI in this expanding shell can give information regarding the kinetics of the supernova remnant. A 12.2-meter radio telescope, located at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, was used to measure the 1420 MHz HI emission spectrum in three supernova remnants. From these emission spectrum, velocity curves of these sources were found, and compared to a basic theoretical model predicting the HI emission of a spherically symmetric shockwave.

Mentor

James Buckley

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