No Arabic abstract
We present multi-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations using the Isotropic Diffusion Source Approximation (IDSA) for the neutrino transport and a modified potential for general relativity in two different supernova codes: FLASH and ELEPHANT. Due to the complexity of the core-collapse supernova explosion mechanism, simulations require not only high-performance computers and the exploitation of GPUs, but also sophisticated approximations to capture the essential microphysics. We demonstrate that the IDSA is an elegant and efficient neutrino radiation transfer scheme, which is portable to multiple hydrodynamics codes and fast enough to investigate long-term evolutions in two and three dimensions. Simulations with a 40 solar mass progenitor are presented in both FLASH (1D and 2D) and ELEPHANT (3D) as an extreme test condition. It is found that the black hole formation time is delayed in multiple dimensions and we argue that the strong standing accretion shock instability before black hole formation will lead to strong gravitational waves.
Self-consistent, time-dependent supernova (SN) simulations in three spatial dimensions (3D) are conducted with the Aenus-Alcar code, comparing, for the first time, calculations with fully multi-dimensional (FMD) neutrino transport and the ray-by-ray-plus (RbR+) approximation, both based on a two-moment solver with algebraic M1 closure. We find good agreement between 3D results with FMD and RbR+ transport for both tested grid resolutions in the cases of a 20 solar-mass progenitor, which does not explode with the employed simplified set of neutrino opacities, and of an exploding 9 solar-mass model. This is in stark contrast to corresponding axisymmetric (2D) simulations, which confirm previous claims that the RbR+ approximation can foster explosions in 2D in particular in models with powerful axial sloshing of the stalled shock due to the standing accretion shock instability (SASI). However, while local and instantaneous variations of neutrino fluxes and heating rates can still be considerably higher with RbR+ transport in 3D, the time-averaged quantities are very similar to FMD results because of the absence of a fixed, artificial symmetry axis that channels the flow. Therefore, except for stochastic fluctuations, the neutrino signals and the post-bounce evolution of 3D simulations with FMD and RbR+ transport are also very similar, in particular for our calculations with the better grid resolution. Higher spatial resolution has clearly a more important impact than the differences by the two transport treatments. Our results back up the use of the RbR+ approximation for neutrino transport in 3D SN modeling.
We present new two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric neutrino radiation/hydrodynamic models of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) cores. We use the CASTRO code, which incorporates truly multi-dimensional, multi-group, flux-limited diffusion (MGFLD) neutrino transport, including all relevant $mathcal{O}(v/c)$ terms. Our main motivation for carrying out this study is to compare with recent 2D models produced by other groups who have obtained explosions for some progenitor stars and with recent 2D VULCAN results that did not incorporate $mathcal{O}(v/c)$ terms. We follow the evolution of 12, 15, 20, and 25 solar-mass progenitors to approximately 600 milliseconds after bounce and do not obtain an explosion in any of these models. Though the reason for the qualitative disagreement among the groups engaged in CCSN modeling remains unclear, we speculate that the simplifying ``ray-by-ray approach employed by all other groups may be compromising their results. We show that ``ray-by-ray calculations greatly exaggerate the angular and temporal variations of the neutrino fluxes, which we argue are better captured by our multi-dimensional MGFLD approach. On the other hand, our 2D models also make approximations, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions concerning the root of the differences between groups. We discuss some of the diagnostics often employed in the analyses of CCSN simulations and highlight the intimate relationship between the various explosion conditions that have been proposed. Finally, we explore the ingredients that may be missing in current calculations that may be important in reproducing the properties of the average CCSNe, should the delayed neutrino-heating mechanism be the correct mechanism of explosion.
In this work we report briefly on the gravitational wave (GW) signal computed in the context of a self-consistent, 3D simulation of a core-collapse supernova (CCSN) explosion of a 15M$_odot$ progenitor star. We present a short overview of the GW signal, including signal amplitude, frequency distribution, and the energy emitted in the form of GWs for each phase of explosion, along with neutrino luminosities, and discuss correlations between them.
We report on a set of long-term general-relativistic three-dimensional (3D) multi-group (energy-dependent) neutrino-radiation hydrodynamics simulations of core-collapse supernovae. We employ a full 3D two-moment scheme with the local M1 closure, three neutrino species, and 12 energy groups per species. With this, we follow the post-core-bounce evolution of the core of a nonrotating $27$-$M_odot$ progenitor in full unconstrained 3D and in octant symmetry for $gtrsim$$ 380,mathrm{ms}$. We find the development of an asymmetric runaway explosion in our unconstrained simulation. We test the resolution dependence of our results and, in agreement with previous work, find that low resolution artificially aids explosion and leads to an earlier runaway expansion of the shock. At low resolution, the octant and full 3D dynamics are qualitatively very similar, but at high resolution, only the full 3D simulation exhibits the onset of explosion.
We study the impact of neutrino-pair production from the de-excitation of highly excited heavy nuclei on core-collapse supernova simulations, following the evolution up to several 100 ms after core bounce. Our study is based on the AGILE-Boltztran supernova code, which features general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics and accurate three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport in spherical symmetry. In our simulations the nuclear de-excitation process is described in two different ways. At first we follow the approach proposed by Fuller and Meyer [Astrophys. J. 376,701 (1991)], which is based on strength functions derived in the framework of the nuclear Fermi-gas model of non-interacting nucleons. Secondly, we parametrize the allowed and forbidden strength distributions in accordance with measurements for selected nuclear ground states. We determine the de-excitation strength by applying the Brink hypothesis and detailed balance. For both approaches, we find that nuclear de-excitation has no effect on the supernova dynamics. However, we find that nuclear de-excitation is the leading source for the production of electron antineutrinos as well as heavy-lepton flavor (anti)neutrinos during the collapse phase. At sufficiently high densities, the associated neutrino spectra are influenced by interactions with the surrounding matter, making proper simulations of neutrino transport important for the determination of the neutrino-energy loss rate. We find that even including nuclear de-excitations, the energy loss during the collapse phase is overwhelmingly dominated by electron neutrinos produced by electron captures.