演講資訊

摘要：

Thermal infrared (IR) emission from dust is a key probe of the formation and death of short-lived, massive stars. In this talk, I will discuss results from our mid-IR transient survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope and our future plans with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in exploring the dusty and dynamic behavior of massive stars. Mid-IR observations conducted in our Spitzer Infrared Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS) program are unveiling the mid-IR signatures of dust-enshrouded transients and variables that are undetected in optical surveys. With the unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution of JWST in the mid-IR, we will conduct follow-up spectroscopy of these mid-IR transient in a Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program to characterize their nature. I will also discuss our accepted JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program, where we will investigate the formation mechanism and chemical composition of dust formed in the colliding winds of Wolf-Rayet (WR) binaries. Such systems may have a significant impact on the dust abundance in both the local and early Universe. Lastly, I will discuss the crucial role of SPICA in the growing field of IR time-domain astronomy with its potential to discover new transients in the far-IR.