Name: The Remarkable Death of a Massive Star
Start: 2023-12-04T19:30:00-0800
Location: California Academy of Sciences

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This image is a computational simulation of a supernova

Dr. Carl Fields studies the computational and nuclear astrophysics of massive stars, their explosions, and the multi-messenger signals they produce.

Public: $15
Members and seniors: $12

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The Remarkable Death of A Massive Star
Monday, December 4, 2023
7:30 pm, Morrison Planetarium

Featuring Dr. Carl E. Fields, Los Alamos National Laboratory

The explosion of a massive star can produce ripples through spacetime and drive the creation of the elements needed for life. Their deaths can also give birth to a neutron star or black hole, providing clues into the evolution of galaxies. However, the chaotic nature of massive stars presents a challenge to interpreting their observed properties. Recent technological advancements allow us to now produce state-of-the-art computational simulations of the transient fate of a massive star. These simulations can unlock secrets about the violent nuclear fusion occurring deep within these stars, a region inaccessible to direct observation. In this talk, Dr. Fields will present recent results of hydrodynamic simulations of massive stars in the final moments proceeding and during their catastrophic fates.

About Carl E. Fields

Carl Fields studies the explosive death of massive stars.

Carl Fields is an RPF Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Earth & Space Exploration (Astrophysics) from Arizona State University (2016) and his Ph.D in Astronomy & Astrophysics from Michigan State University (2021). Carl is a computational astrophysicist broadly interested in massive stars, their explosions, and the multi-messenger signals they produce. In Fall 2024, Dr. Fields will begin as an Assistant Professor/Assistant Astronomer at the University of Arizona, Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory.