【T. D. Lee Special Colloquium】 From Explosion Mechanisms to the Hubble Tension: Insights from Stellar Explosions

by Prof. Xiaofeng Wang (Tsinghua University)

Wednesday 29 Apr 2026, 14:00 → 15:00 Asia/Shanghai

Tsung-Dao Lee Institute/N6F-N600 - Lecture Room (Tsung-Dao Lee Institute)

Host: Prof. Dong Lai (赖东)

Abstract: 

Stellar explosions provide a powerful laboratory for probing both massive star physics and the fundamental properties of the Universe. In this talk, I will present recent progress on two major open problems: the explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae and the origin of the Hubble tension. For core-collapse supernovae, I will show that very early-time, multi-band observations provide critical constraints on the explosion physics. Observations of supernova explosions arising from nearby red supergiants such as SN 2023ixf and SN 2024ggi reveal atypical temperature evolution during the initial shock breakout phase, challenging standard models. In addition, we report the EP detections of diverse X-ray flashes events associated with type Ic supernovae, pointing to a wider diversity of explosion of Wolf–Rayet stars. On cosmological scales, I will discuss the role of Type Ia supernovae in the Hubble tension. Our recent analysis indicates that local metallicity affects the inferred Hubble constant with a significance at ~4–5σ level. These results highlight the importance of early-time observations and environmental dependencies in using stellar explosions as precision probes of astrophysics and cosmology.

Biography: 

Xiaofeng Wang is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University. He obtained his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Astronomy from Beijing Normal University, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the NAOC, University of California, Berkeley, and Texas A&M University.  His research focuses on supernovae, their applications in cosmology, and time-domain astronomy. His work has been recognized twice as one of the “Top Ten Advances in Chinese Astronomy.”He has authored or co-authored over 240 SCI-indexed publications, including papers in Science, Nature, and their sister journals, with a total of about 16,000 citations. He has been awarded the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and selected for the National High-Level Talent Program. His honors include the Huang Shou-Shu Award of the Chinese Astronomical Society and the Tencent Xplorer Prize.