Physics Colloquium: Laura Chomiuk

“Rethinking the Fundamentals of Classical Nova Explosions”

Laura Chomiuk, Michigan State University

Over the past few years, a revolution has been taking place in our understanding of classical novae, largely driven by the discovery of GeV gamma-rays emanating from these garden-variety explosions. These gamma-rays hint that shocks are energetically important—perhaps even dominant—in novae.

I will present our burgeoning understanding of shocks in novae, from both multi-wavelength observational and theoretical perspectives. I will also illustrate how novae can be used as testbeds to understand other shock-powered explosions, like stellar mergers and super-luminous supernovae.