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