THE IR SUPERNOVA SEARCH MOTIVATION

The IR supernova (SN) Search is a monthly patrol of nearby starburst Galaxies for the purpose of discovering SNe hidden to optical astronomers due to extinction in the host galaxy. The most basic models of stellar evolution feature high-mass stars forming in dusty regions such as Orion, invisible to optical astronomers, and these are just the stars that are likely to go supernova. We observe our star-forming galaxies in the K' (2.1 micron) band, where the extinction is 1/10th that, *in magnitudes*, in the optical.

If we correct for extinction effects, we then expect enough SNe to be able to detect several SNe each year closer than 10 Mpc, the nominal visibility distance for detection by the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). Our main goal is to find nearby SNe that GRO can observe in the gamma ray bands, making direct observations of nucleosynthesis. -Bruce Grossan 1/30