ScienceProblem: PreDiscoveryMiningSN

PrimaryActor:

Astronomer

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ScienceGoal:

Diret detection of a massive star in an external galaxy which has exploded as a supernova. This requires easy access to multi-colour archive images of the host galaxy which were taken before explosion. If a star cannot be identifed then at least a magnitude, luminosty and mass estimate can be determined.

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DataSets:

The highest spatial resolution images available are required. Ideally they should be space based, but this is not a necessity. All images of a supernova site before explosion are potentially very useful. Most interesting telscopes with public archives are:

1. HST
2. VLT
3. Gemini
4. WHT
5. CFHT
6. Subaru
7. NTT
8. INT
9. ESO 2.2m + WFI 10. AAT

Plus in the future

1. SDSS
2. UKIRT WFCAM
3. VISTA
4. VST

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ProblemDescription:

The project aims to detect massive stars which explode as core-collapse supernovae (SNe). Most SN come from the deaths of massive stars and their optical characteristics define them as Ib, Ic, II-P, II-L, IIn, IIb, II-pec. What type and mass of stars cause these different types is not well constrained, with only two definite detections of progenitor stars (SN1987A and 1993J), and these were probably binaries.

Recent attempts with Astrovirtel have shown that the chances of having an archive image of a supernova in a galaxy within 20Mpc from one of the telescopes above is ~30-50% at present. At least 11 nearby SNe between 1999-2002 have good quality pre-explosion data available - three of these have been published, and the rest are being studied now.

Astrogrid can enhance this considerably. By making all available datasets searchable as quickly as possible, and calculating on which cameras the SN falls.

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CurrentSolution:

A search tool from astrovirtel called Querator searches the ESO and HST archive simultaneously. All other archives have to be done by hand.

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VOSolution:

S. Smartt requests the following capability

1. Immediately display a DSS or SDSS optical image in an image display tool with the SN position marked
2. List of which telescopes in the above list have images in the field
3. Calculate the footprint of each camera and work out which have the SN on the FOV
4. Display these images in display tool (with WCS) and mark SN position
5. Download the images for analysis

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KeyReferences:

Smartt S.J et al, 2002, Apj, 565, 1089, The Nature of the Progenitor of the Type II-P Supernova 1999em

Smartt S.J. et al, 2002, Apj, 556, L29, An Upper Mass Limit for the Progenitor of the Type II-P Supernova SN 1999gi

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GoodStyle: Please add comments below. This area should be used for refinement of the above document. If you want to ask questions or start a dialogue with the author, please use (or create) a topic in the Science Problems Forum. For other ScienceProblems, refer to the ScienceProblemList.
Author: Once the refinements here and comments in the forum die down, perhaps you could rewrite the problem, incorporating the comments and refinements.

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Good AG driver (include AG datasets) - expanding to VO (all datasets)

-- NicholasWalton - 17 Apr 2002

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-- StephenSmartt - 05 Apr 2002