Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Although supernovae (SNe) are routinely detected through dedicated robotic surveys, but most of these SNe are often too distant (~1-100 Mpc) to resolve the SN ejecta and immediate surroundings of the exploded stars. Fortunately, supernova remnants (SNRs) offer the means to study explosions, dynamics, and particle acceleration at sub-pc scales. In this talk, I will review recent advances in the understanding of SNe based on studies of SNRs, particularly using Chandra and NuSTAR X-ray observations. I will highlight investigations of SN asymmetry, based on morphologies and heavy metal (like iron and titanium) kinematics and abundances. I will also summarize the constraints on Type Ia SN progenitor scenarios using hard X-ray observations. Finally, I will present results localizing the hardest (>10 keV) non-thermal X-rays, which are associated with synchrotron emission from electrons accelerated by SNR shocks and discuss the implications regarding the particle acceleration process.