Monday, April 13, 2026 at 3:30 pm

JILA auditorium

Justin Pierel, Space Telescope Science Institute

"The Distant Transient Universe: Supernovae, Gravitational Lensing, and Cosmology"

Abstract:

Time-domain astronomy is entering a new era. With JWST, we can now discover and study supernovae in the early universe, while the Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will find rare transients across wide areas and in unprecedented numbers. These complementary facilities are transforming the transient sky into a laboratory for precision astrophysics and cosmology. In this talk, I will show how these observations are opening new ways to study cosmic expansion and probe the physics of the early universe. High-redshift Type Ia supernovae allow us to test the stability of the standard candles used to trace cosmic acceleration, while strongly lensed supernovae provide an independent route to cosmological distances through time-delay cosmography. I will highlight recent JWST results on both classes of objects and show how they foreshadow the next decade of time-domain astronomy. Together, JWST, Rubin, and Roman will significantly enhance the role of the transient universe as a precision tool for cosmology.

Back to Speakers