Maryam Modjaz

My research addresses fore front problems in stellar death astrophysics through extensive and panchromatic observations of various types of massive stellar explosions, specifically Gamma-Ray Bursts and Supernovae, which are among the most powerful explosions in the universe, as well as a growing class of exotic transients. With the goal of understanding their stellar progenitors and the explosion conditions that determine the fate of massive stars, I also study these stellar explosions' host environments and host galaxies, in particular the metallicities at the explosion sites, as a promising new tool for differentiating between various progenitor models. Astrophysics is entering the Golden Age of innovative time-domain surveys that stand to revolutionize our understanding of the transient sky. I'm part of the very successful and current Palomar Transient Factory (see PTF at http://www.astro.caltech.edu/ptf/ ), as well as the large-scale Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (see LSST at http://www.lsst.org/lsst/) planned for ~2016.

1. Bianco, Modjaz et al (2014), "Multi-color Optical and NIR Light Curves of 64 Stripped-Envelope Core-Collapse Supernovae", 2014, ApJS, 213, 19
2. Liu & Modjaz (2014), "SuperNova IDentification spectral templates of 70 stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae", arXiv-1405.1437
3. Modjaz et al. (2014), "Optical Spectra of 73 Stripped Envelope Supernovae'', 2014, Astronomical Journal, 147, 9
4. M. Modjaz (2011b), "Stellar Forensics with the Supernova-GRB Connection", 2011, AN, 332, 5, 434,
5. M. Modjaz, et al (2011a), "Progenitor Diagnostics for Stripped Core-Collapse Supernovae: Measured Metallicities at Explosion Sites", 2011, Astrophysical Journal, 731, L4
6. M. Modjaz, et al (2009), "From Shock Breakout to Peak and Beyond: Extensive Panchromatic Observations of the Type Ib Supernova 2008D associated with Swift X-ray Transient 080109'', 2009, Astrophysical Journal, 702, 226
7. D. Kocevski, A. West, & M. Modjaz (2009), "Modeling The GRB Host Galaxy Mass Distribution: Are GRBs Unbiased Tracers of Star Formation?", 2009, Astrophysical Journal, 702, 377
8. M. Modjaz (2008) "Measured Metallicities at the Sites of Local Broad-Lined Type Ic Supernovae and Implications for the SN-GRB Connection'', 2008, Astronomical Journal, 135, 1136
9. M. Modjaz, et al (2008), "Double-peaked Oxygen Lines Are not Rare in Nebular Spectra of Core-Collapse Supernovae'', 2008, Astrophysical Journal, 687, L9