1 April 2004

Speaker: Roger Chevalier (University of Virginia)

Title: Neutron Stars, Pulsar Wind Nebulae, and their Supernovae

Abstract: Massive star supernovae can be divided into several categories depending on the amount of mass loss from the progenitor star and the star's radius. Various aspects of the immediate aftermath of the supernova are expected to develop in different ways depending on the supernova category; these aspects include mixing in the supernova, fallback on the central compact object, expansion of any pulsar wind nebula, interaction with circumstellar matter, and photoionization by shock breakout radiation. The observed properties of nearby young supernova remnants can be compared to the expectations for the different categories of supernovae.

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