A three-dimensional view of exploding stars

A supernova explosion marks the spectacular end in the life of a massive star. Supernovae are the main sources of chemical elements that make life possible, responsible for regulating star formation in galaxies, and producers of exotic neutron stars and black holes. Despite their key role in the universe, there are many fundamental open questions about supernovae, including the mechanism that allows them to explode. This project aims to bring new insights into this mystery by studying the ejected stellar debris in nearby supernova remnants. The asymmetric distribution of ejecta reflects the conditions at the time of explosion and offers unique diagnostic information about both the star and the explosion itself. Observational data from primarily the James Webb Space Telescope will be used to reconstruct the full 3D distribution of different elements in the ejecta. The properties of the asymmetries will be quantified and confronted with theoretical models. Furthermore, the methods developed will be useful for interpreting new observational data and evaluating the rapidly improving 3D numerical simulations of the explosions.