Padova-Asiago Supernova Group
Irene Salmaso


I am currently a post-doc at INAF-OAPd. My research is focussed on Interacting Supernovae, which typically show narrow lines in their spectra due to the interaction between the SN ejecta and the circumstellar medium (CSM) that was ejected by the progenitor in the years before the explosion.

In particular, I am interested in the study of strongly-interacting SNe, whose main powering mechanism is interaction itself, rather than radioactive decay. These energetic transients are characterised by luminous, long-lasting light curves with a broad peak and a slow spectroscopic evolution. They are particularly interesting in the multimessenger context, since strong shock between the fast-expanding SN ejecta and the CSM creates the ideal conditions for particle acceleration and production of high-energy (HE) neutrinos above 1 TeV. I have studied this class of transients during my Ph.D., characterising their energetics and evolution (e.g. Salmaso et al. 2023, A&A, 673, 127).

During my research, I succesfully led the observative campaign of several SNe at different telescopes and I was also P.I. of three observative proposals at the Nordic Optical Telescope, Copernico Telescope in Asiago, and the Very Large Telescope. I have expertise in data reduction and analysis, as well as good coding skills in Python.

I am a member of NUTS2 and ePESSTO+, international collaborations aimed at the classification, study, and characterisation of transients. In this context, I helped with the classification and follow-up of many different kinds of SNe and other stellar transients. I have also joined the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in order to collaborate in the exploitation of the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory for the discovery and follow-up of SNe. Finally, I am also part of ENGRAVE and GRAWITA, international collaborations aimed at the search of optical counterpart of gravitational waves.