The Hunt for the Quark-Nova: A Call for Observers
Abstract
A Quark Nova is the explosive transition from a neutron star to a quark star that is theorized to take place days or weeks after a small fraction of "normal" Type II supernova events. The Quark Nova signature is the delayed brightening of the new object by about five magnitudes. The proposed close long-term monitoring of Type II supernova events should reveal the presence or absence of the signature double-hump of a Quark Nova and allow us to estimate the frequency or upper limit to the rate of such events. Normal supernova search techniques and follow-up activities may miss the subsequent brightening that takes place during the Quark Nova event. We seek CCD-equipped observers with modest-sized telescopes to join a collaborative effort to search for these events. Your job would begin after Type II supernovae are discovered by others. You, with a team of other observers, would follow all new Type II discoveries for about 1-2 months looking for the signature "double-bump." As there are not many known Type II supernovae active at any given time, the observational commitment is not expected to exceed about one-hour per night. We have set up an on-line database to manage the process and record the observations and a communications forum to provide support to the observers and structure to the project (see http://quarknova.ucalgary.ca). The confirmation that these objects exist will be a significant event in supernova research.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #218
- Pub Date:
- May 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AAS...218.9607L