We present the SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC), an open-source Lagrangian code for the hydrodynamics and equilibrium-diffusion radiation transport in the expanding envelopes of supernovae. Given a model of a progenitor star, an explosion energy, and an amount and distribution of radioactive nickel, SNEC generates the bolometric light curve, as well as the light curves in different broad bands assuming black body emission. As a first application of SNEC, we consider the explosions of a grid of 15 M (at zero-age main sequence) stars whose hydrogen envelopes are stripped to different extents and at different points in their evolution. The resulting light curves exhibit plateaus with durations of ∼20 − 100 days if 1.5 − 2 M of hydrogen-rich material is left and no plateau if less hydrogen-rich material is left. If these shorter plateau lengths are not seen for Type IIP supernovae in nature, it suggests that, at least for zero-age main sequence masses 20 M , hydrogen mass loss occurs as an all or nothing process. This perhaps points to the important role binary interactions play in generating the observed mass-stripped supernovae (i.e., Type Ib/c events). These light curves are also unlike what is typically seen for Type IIL supernovae, arguing that simply varying the amount of mass loss cannot explain these events. The most stripped models begin to show double-peaked light curves similar to what is often seen for Type IIb supernovae, confirming previous work that these supernovae can come from progenitors that have a small amount of hydrogen and a radius of ∼ 500 R .

The recent LIGO detection of gravitational waves (GW150914), likely originating from the merger of two ∼ 30M black holes suggests progenitor stars of low metallicity ([Z/Z ] 0.3), constraining when and where the progenitor of GW150914 may have formed. We combine estimates of galaxy properties (star forming gas metallicity, star formation rate and merger rate) across cosmic time to predict the low redshift black hole -black hole merger rate as a function of present day host galaxy mass, M gal , the formation redshift of the progenitor system z f and different progenitor metallicities Z p . For Z p 0.1Z , the signal is dominated by binaries in massive galaxies with z f 2 while below Z p 0.1Z most mergers come from binaries formed around z f 0.5 in dwarf galaxies. Additional gravitational wave detections from merging massive black holes will provide constraints on the mass-metallicity relation and massive star formation at high redshifts.

We model the formation of black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) binaries via dynamical interactions in globular clusters. We find that in dense, massive clusters, 16-61% of the BH-NS binaries formed by interactions with existing BH binaries will undergo mergers driven by the emission of gravitational radiation. If the BHs are retained by the cluster after merging with a NS, the BHs acquire subsequent NS companions and undergo several mergers. Thus, the merger rate depends critically upon whether or not the BH is retained by the cluster after the merger. Results from numerical relativity suggest that kick imparted to a ∼ 7 M ⊙ BH after it merges with a NS will greatly exceed the cluster's escape velocity. In this case, the models suggest that the majority of BH-NS mergers in globular clusters occur within 4 Gyrs of the cluster's formation and would be unobservable by Advanced LIGO. For more massive BHs, on the other hand, the post merger kick is suppressed and the BH is retained. Models with 35 M ⊙ BHs predict Advanced LIGO detection rates in the range 0.04 − 0.7 yr −1 . On the pessimistic end of this range, BH-NS mergers resulting from binary-single star interactions in globular clusters could account for an interesting fraction of all BH-NS mergers. On the optimistic end, this channel may dominate the rate of detectable BH-NS mergers.

We calculate the emission line spectrum produced by the debris released when a white dwarf (WD) is tidally disrupted by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH; M ∼ 10 2 −10 5 M ⊙ ) and we explore the possibility of using the emission lines to identify such events and constrain the properties of the IMBH. To this end, we adopt and adapt the techniques developed by Strubbe & Quataert to study the optical emission lines produced when a main sequence (MS) star is tidally disrupted by a supermassive black hole. WDs are tidally disrupted outside of the event horizon of a < 10 5 M ⊙ black hole, which makes these tidal disruption events good signposts of IMBHs. We focus on the optical and UV emission lines produced when the accretion flare photoionizes the stream of debris that remains unbound during the disruption. We find that the spectrum is dominated by lines due to ions of C and O, the strongest of which are C IV λ1549 at early times and [O III] λ5007 at later times. Furthermore, we model the profile of the emission lines in the [O III] λλ4959, 5007 doublet and find that it is highly asymmetric with velocity widths of up to ∼ 2500 km s −1 , depending on the properties of the WD-IMBH system and the orientation of the observer. Finally, we compare the models with observations of X-ray flares and optical emission lines in the cores of globular clusters and propose how future observations can test if these features are due to a WD that has been tidally disrupted by an IMBH.

Many hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are in close binaries, and the favored formation channels for subdwarfs rely on mass transfer in a binary system to strip a core He burning star of its envelope. However, these channels cannot account for sdBs that have been observed in long period binaries nor the narrow mass distribution of isolated (or "singleton") sdBs. We propose a new formation channel involving the merger of a helium white dwarf and a low mass, hydrogen burning star, which addresses these issues. Hierarchical triples whose inner binaries merge and form sdBs by this process could explain the observed long period subdwarf+main sequence binaries. This process would also naturally explain the observed slow rotational speeds of singleton sdBs. We also briefly discuss the implications of this formation channel for extreme horizontal branch morphology in globular clusters and the UV upturn in elliptical galaxies.