Physics Department - Supernova Remnants ~ An Odyssey in Space after Stellar Deaths 

Abstract
Stellar life goes in circle. A crucial stage in the circle that connects the living and the dead is called supernova remnants (SNRs). They are the end of the road, where the stars blow themselves up in the form of one of the most energetic explosions in the Universe. They also trigger formation of new stars as a major source of energy injection in the interstellar medium. The extremely rich morphological and spectroscopic diversity displayed by these nebular-like astronomical objects, which showcases the complexity of the episodic evolution and surrounding environments of the exploded stars, is beyond fascinating. The study of SNRs is directly linked to fundamental questions of utmost importance to our understanding of the world, including the synthesis of heavy chemical elements essential to the thriving of life, the origin of high-energy cosmic rays bombarding our atmosphere every other second from space, the mysteries of massive stars and their explosive deaths as core-collapse supernovae, the true nature of thermonuclear explosions of Sun-like stars which led to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe, and so on. Driven by the ever-evolving technologies used in space and ground-based observatories, new data has continuously motivated innovations in theoretical and numerical models in an attempt to provide answers to these ultimate questions. In this seminar, I will give a broad overview of the current state of and recent progress in the field of SNR astrophysics. That will be followed by an introduction of a selected number of breakthroughs that our team has achieved so far. The talk will be concluded by a vision of future prospects through the advancement of next-generation observational instruments and ongoing state-of-the-art modeling efforts.