Research summary
Astronomers know that massive stars play a crucial role in shaping our universe through stellar winds, supernovae explosions, and the production of heavy elements. But these distant stars still hold many mysteries. As Canada Research Chair in Time-Domain and Multimessenger Astrophysics, Dr. Maria Drout is trying to better understand these stars and their importance.
Drout and her research team are tackling key questions about the evolution and death of massive stars, the origin of unusual astronomical transients, and the physics of stellar explosions. Using a combination of multi-wavelength observations of transient phenomena and studies of resolved stellar populations, they aim to develop a comprehensive picture of the evolution, influence and ultimate fate of massive stars.