Massive stars and supernovae – with Thomas Haworth

What are massive stars and supernovae, and why are they so rare? And why have they had such a huge effect on the evolution of the universe?

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When stars are born, hundreds of thousands can form in one cluster. Amongst these are massive stars which, though rare and short-lived, have far-reaching effects on the evolution of the entire galaxy.

Clusters of stars are formed when gravity causes giant clouds of dusty gas to collapse, giving us some of the most stunning images in astronomy. However, alongside the creation there is destruction. Massive stars, around 40 times larger than the sun, emit vast amounts of energy which heats and blows away the star-forming gas.

In this talk, Thomas Haworth shares the latest understandings of how the energy from massive stars is impacting the clusters and galaxies around them. From the destruction of planet-forming discs surrounding young stars to energy surges as the massive stars explode in supernovae, the lives of massive stars have far-reaching consequences for their surroundings.

This talk was recorded at the Ri on 11 April 2023.

00:00 Intro
1:03 What is a ‘massive’ star?
7:12 How are massive stars formed?
12:35 How bright are massive stars?
17:18 Electrons and atoms (demos)
22:41 Star formulation simulation (demos)
25:17 What about supernovae?
29:57 The effect of massive stars on galaxies
34:50 Explosive demo!
38:53 How quickly are galaxies making stars?
40:35 Why are planets so diverse?
46:52 How do we study planets? (demos)
55:02 Recent research on planets

Thomas Haworth is a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow and Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. His approach to research uses both computer simulations and observations with state of the art facilities. He connects the two using synthetic observations. His main interests are the connection between planet formation and star forming environment, but has enjoyed working on a wide range of other topics including star formation/stellar feedback, planet formation, cloud-cloud collisions, AGB star winds and globulettes.

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