Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Colloquium: The JWST Revolution in High-Redshift Supernova Discovery

AST Colloquium
The JWST Revolution in High-Redshift Supernova Discovery

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Dr. Justin Pierel
Postdoctoral Researcher
Space Telescope Science Institute

Abstract:
The high-redshift transient universe has been an unexplored field of astrophysics due to the vast amount of resources required to discover supernovae (SNe) at z>1. Even with the Hubble Space Telescope, discoveries of the most distant stellar explosions have been restricted to z~2, with critical spectroscopy limited to z~1.5. With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we have entered a new era of high-redshift SN discovery and understanding. JWST has significantly expanded our view of the transient universe, including hundreds of SNe and dozens of rest-frame UV-IR spectra for SNe reaching z=5.13. The JWST SN sample with both imaging and spectroscopy now includes the most distant Type Ia SNe (used for cosmological measurements) yet discovered, multiple strongly lensed SNe, and a wide variety of core-collapse SN sub-types from a previously unexplored phase of the transient universe. I will summarize the range of discoveries made in the first few years of JWST observations, the constraints gleaned from these exciting new objects, and our ongoing efforts to build the first statistical samples of high-redshift SNe. Looking ahead, these SNe give us a glimpse at what we can expect from the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will revolutionize the discovery of distant stellar explosions.

Bio:
Justin graduated from Bowdoin College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and spent two years at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as a member of the Cassini team. He received his master’s and PhD in Physics from the University of South Carolina, where he was awarded South Carolina Space Grant Consortium and FINESST Fellowships. Justin moved to the Space Telescope Science Institute in 2021 as a postdoc in the “Transient Science at Space Telescope” group, where he is now a NASA Einstein Fellow focused on time-domain science with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic.