PI: Jason Kalirai, Space Telescope Science Institute, firstname.lastname@example.org
Address: Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, US
CoI: Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay, University of Montreal
CoI: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, UC Santa Cruz
CoI: Rachel Strickler, UC Santa Cruz
Title: Measuring the Lower Mass Limit of Type II SNe
Abstract: We propose to measure the mass distribution of white dwarfs in the very young (age=130 Myr) and rich star cluster NGC 2323. The mass measurements will be obtained by fitting Keck/LRIS spectra of the white dwarfs with new theoretical atmosphere models. Given existing knowledge of the cluster age from our photometric study, we will calculate the initial masses of the progenitor stars and use them to extend the relation between the initial and final masses of stars to the maximum mass that will produce a white dwarf rather than a neutron star. This therefore also sets a limit on the lower mass threshold of type II SNe production, a very important constraint for several avenues of astrophysics including the birth rates of massive stars, stellar evolution, chemical abundances and energetics in galaxies, and IGM kinematics.
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