Exploding Stars and the Birth of Black Holes

Please note: This event will be held in-person at 19 Washington Square North and virtually via Zoom.
Time: 2-3:30pm EDT (10-11:30pm GST)

For thousands of years, civilizations have been captivated by "guest stars" appearing in the night sky. These are supernovae, or exploding stars, some of which also produce extremely energetic, brief bursts of gamma-rays. Astronomers are not certain which types of explosions result in black holes. In this talk, exploding stars and the resulting black holes are reviewed and an investigation is presented. Binary star systems in our galaxy that contain black holes seem to have an overabundance of heavy elements, and it seems that bursts of gamma-rays are unlikely to be associated with producing black holes in our Milky Way.

Speakers

• Maryam Modjaz, Associate Professor of Physics, Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, NYU; 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD
• David Russell, Associate Professor of Physics, Center for Astro, Particle, and Planetary Physics and 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellow, NYUAD