Previous | Session 171 | Next | Author Index | Block Schedule
M. A. Troxel, W. R. Ketchum, D. Branch (University of Oklahoma), P. Garnavich (University of Notre Dame), E. Baron, Y. Wang (University of Oklahoma)
Spectral identification of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) has been limited in the past to approximately z = 1.7 due to noise. In order to extend this limit and allow identification of higher-z SNe Ia, we use a simple integration technique to sum near-maximum-light spectra weighted according to their relative fluxes. We show that this combination of near-maximum spectra statistically increases the available signal to noise ratio while preserving not only the signature spectral features of SNe Ia, but also the more specific spectral features that identify sub-types of SNe Ia. In the cases of some peculiar SNe Ia, the unique identity of the supernovae being integrated is preserved as well. This increases the redshift at which SNe Ia, used as standard candles in cosmology, can be identified and thus increases our ability to probe the expansion history of the universe.
This work has been supported by NSF grants AST-0204771 and AST-0506028, and NASA grant NNG04GD36G.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: troxel@nhn.ou.edu
Previous | Session 171 | Next
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #4
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.