Late Phases of the Evolution of Massive Stars

Massive Stars play a key role in the Universe through the light they shine, the chemical elements they produce and their explosive deaths (supernovae, gamma-ray bursts). They leave behind neutron stars or black holes, the merger of which has recently been observed by LIGO and VIRGO. This opened a new window on the universe via gravitational waves. In order to predict the fate of massive stars, improvements in their modelling is needed, in particular the treatment of convection and nuclear burning during the late phases. This will be the focus of this PhD.