I use a number of techniques to study supernovae (SNe) and transients, with the goal of understanding their progenitor systems and the physical processes that take place in the explosions. Core-collapse SNe, the focus of my SN research, are produced by massive stars ending their lives in colossal explosions. The evolution of massive stars in the late stage up to the terminal endpoint as a SN is still not well understood, with various contributing factors such as initial mass, metallicity, and mass loss. I am interested in finding out how massive star evolution is related to the diversity of SNe.

Below I list my research topics with short descriptions and a few relevant publications.

Environments of SNe

I study supernova/transient environments with integral field unit (IFU) spectroscopy, capturing the spatial and spectral information of the explosion site at the same time. Comparing with simple stellar population models, progenitor physical properties such as initial mass and metallicity are derived by proxy of the parent stellar population. The constraints on the mass and metallicity of progenitors are connected with stellar evolution theory, and are used to map different kinds of massive stars to their endpoint supernovae. I have been the co-PI of the AMUSING project (ESO P100-101), a survey to collect MUSE IFU observations of nearby SN hosts.

SN nebular spectroscopy

Several months after the explosion, the expanding supernova ejecta become optically thin. The spectra then become nebular, characterized by dominant emission lines. This reveals the emissions from the inner parts of the exploding star, hence allowing the observation and study of the heart of the star that would otherwise be hidden from view, thus revealing the inner stellar structure and chemistry, the explosion geometry and mechanism. I am the PI of the FOSSIL project (FORS+ Survey of Supernovae in Late Times), a survey to obtain a large number of SN nebular spectra at the VLT that has been running since 2017.

Stellar populations and host galaxies

Photometry and integral field (IFU) spectroscopy of extragalactic star clusters hosting supernovae, determination of their age and metallicity through comparison with simple stellar population (SSP) models. Calibration of simple stellar population models, comparing properties derived from resolved and unresolved observations.

SN circumstellar medium and progenitor mass loss

Circumstellar material in the vicinity of the progenitor star, linked to the pre-explosion mass loss episodes and the possible influence of a binary companion to the progenitor.

Observations of SNe and transients

Photometric and spectroscopic observations of supernovae and transients, covering the early phases within days of explosion up until the late phase months to years later. I am part of the ePESSTO+ and NUTS collaborations, which are among the most active collaborations in SN observations worldwide.

SN progenitor detection

Progenitor properties and late-stage evolution through high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope imaging which captures the pre-supernova state of the exploding star.

Others

SN type Ia and the progenitor system, interaction with CSM
Gravitational wave optical counterparts, kilonova
Fast-evolving transients
Star-forming galaxies, luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs)
Multi-band photometry of Galactic stellar clusters, isochrone fitting, color-magnitude and color-color diagrams
Astrometry and orbit determination of visual double stars through long-term monitoring
Photometric and spectroscopic monitoring of variable stars and novae
Structure and chemical evolution of the Milky Way