Dust and molecules in core-collapse supernovae (astronomy)

Explosions of supernovae eject newly synthesised elements into the interstellar medium, making supernovae the key for enriching interstellar medium of heavy elements. Yet, it is not well measured how much elements are synthesised and in what state they form.
Recently, the Herschel Space Observatory and ALMA discovered that majority of heavy elements can turn into dust and molecules. The PhD student will exploit the Herschel and ALMA data, with modelling their thermal emissions and molecular spectra. They will reveal quantity of molecules and dust, as well as the dynamics of supernovae, using molecular lines as a probe.