No Arabic abstract
It has been suggested based on analytic theory that even in non-rotating supernova progenitors stochastic spin-up by internal gravity waves (IGWs) during the late burning stages can impart enough angular momentum to the core to result in neutron star birth spin periods below 100ms, and a relatively firm upper limit of 500ms for the spin period. We here investigate this process using a 3D simulation of oxygen shell burning in a $3M_odot$ He star. Our model indicates that stochastic spin-up by IGWs is less efficient than previously thought. We find that the stochastic angular momentum flux carried by waves excited at the shell boundary is significantly smaller for a given convective luminosity and turnover time than would be expected from simple dimensional analysis. This can be explained by noting that the waves launched by overshooting convective plumes contain modes of opposite angular wave number with similar amplitudes, so that the net angular momentum of excited wave packets almost cancels. We find that the wave-mediated angular momentum flux from the oxygen shell follows a random walk, but again dimensional analysis overestimates the random walk amplitudes since the correlation time is only a fraction of the convective turnover time. Extrapolating our findings over the entire life time of the last burning stages prior to collapse, we predict that the core angular momentum from stochastic spin-up would translate into long birth spin periods of several seconds for low-mass progenitors and no less than 100ms even for high-mass progenitors.
We perform two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamics simulations of convective oxygen shell-burning that takes place deep inside a massive progenitor star of a core-collapse supernova. Using one dimensional (1D) stellar evolution code, we first calculate the evolution of massive stars with an initial mass of 9-40 $M_odot$. Four different overshoot parameters are applied, and CO core mass trend similar to previous works is obtained in the 1D models. Selecting eleven 1D models that have a silicon and oxygen coexisting layer, we perform 2D hydrodynamics simulations of the evolution $sim$100 s until the onset of core-collapse. We find that convection with large-scale eddies and the turbulent Mach number $sim$0.1 is obtained in the models having a Si/O layer with a scale of 10$^8$ cm, whereas most models that have an extended O/Si layer up to a few $times 10^9$ cm exhibit lower turbulent velocity. Our results indicate that the supernova progenitors that possess a thick Si/O layer could provide a preferable condition for perturbation-aided explosions. We perform 3D simulation of a 25 $M_odot$ model, which exhibits large-scale convection in the 2D models. The 3D model develops large ($ell = 2$) convection similar to the 2D model, however, the turbulent velocity is lower. By estimating the neutrino emission properties of the 3D model, we point out that a time modulation of the event rates, if observed in KamLAND and Hyper-Kamiokande, would provide an important information about structural changes in the presupernova convective layer.
We study differential rotation in late-stage shell convection in a 3D hydrodynamic simulation of a rapidly rotating $16M_odot$ helium star with a particular focus on the convective oxygen shell. We find that the oxygen shell develops a quasi-stationary pattern of differential rotation that is neither described by uniform angular velocity as assumed in current stellar evolution models of supernova progenitors, nor by uniform specific angular momentum. Instead, the oxygen shell develops a positive angular velocity gradient with faster rotation at the equator than at the pole by tens of percent. We show that the angular momentum transport inside the convection zone is not adequately captured by a diffusive mixing-length flux proportional to the angular velocity or angular momentum gradient. Zonal flow averages reveal stable large-scale meridional flow and an entropy deficit near the equator that mirrors the patterns in the angular velocity. The structure of the flow is reminiscent of simulations of stellar surface convection zones and the differential rotation of the Sun, suggesting that similar effects are involved; future simulations will need to address in more detail how the interplay of buoyancy, inertial forces, and turbulent stresses shapes differential rotation during late-stage convection in massive stars. Our findings may have implications for neutron star birth spin periods and supernova explosion scenarios that involve rapid core rotation. If convective regions develop positive angular velocity gradients, angular momentum could be shuffled out of the core region more efficiently, potentially making the formation of millisecond magnetars more difficult.
Non-spherical structure in massive stars at the point of iron core collapse can have a qualitative impact on the properties of the ensuing core-collapse supernova explosions and the multi-messenger signals they produce. Strong perturbations can aid successful explosions by strengthening turbulence in the post-shock region. Here, we report on a set of $4pi$ 3D hydrodynamic simulations of O- and Si-shell burning in massive star models of varied initial masses using MESA and the FLASH simulation framework. We evolve four separate 3D models for roughly the final ten minutes prior to, and including, iron core collapse. We consider initial 1D MESA models with masses of 14-, 20-, and 25 $M_{odot}$ to survey a range of O/Si shell density and compositional configurations. We characterize the convective shells in our 3D models and compare them to the corresponding 1D models. In general, we find that the angle-average convective speeds in our 3D simulations near collapse are three to four times larger than the convective speeds predicted by MESA at the same epoch for our chosen mixing length parameter of $alpha_{rm{MLT}}=1.5$. In three of our simulations, we observe significant power in the spherical harmonic decomposition of the radial velocity field at harmonic indices of $ell=1-3$ near collapse. Our results suggest that large-scale modes are common in massive stars near collapse and should be considered a key aspect of pre-supernova progenitor models.
We perform for the first time a 3D hydrodynamics simulation of the evolution of the last minutes pre-collapse of the oxygen shell of a fast-rotating massive star. This star has an initial mass of 38 M$_odot$, a metallicity of $sim$1/50 Z$_odot$, an initial rotational velocity of 600 km s$^{-1}$, and experiences chemically homogeneous evolution. It has a silicon- and oxygen-rich (Si/O) convective layer at (4.7-17)$times 10^{8}$ cm, where oxygen-shell burning takes place. The power spectrum analysis of the turbulent velocity indicates the dominance of the large-scale mode ($ell sim 3$), which has also been seen in non-rotating stars that have a wide Si/O layer. Spiral arm structures of density and silicon-enriched material produced by oxygen-shell burning appear in the equatorial plane of the Si/O shell. Non-axisymmetric, large-scale ($m le 3$) modes are dominant in these structures. The spiral arm structures have not been identified in previous non-rotating 3D pre-supernova models. Governed by such a convection pattern, the angle-averaged specific angular momentum becomes constant in the Si/O convective layer, which is not considered in spherically symmetrical stellar evolution models. Such spiral arms and constant specific angular momentum might affect the ensuing explosion or implosion of the star.
We present 3D hydrodynamics simulations of shell burning in two progenitors with zero-age main-sequence masses of 22 and 27 $M_{odot}$ for $sim$65 and 200 s up to the onset of gravitational collapse, respectively. The 22 and 27 $M_{odot}$ stars are selected from a suite of 1D progenitors. The former and the latter have an extended Si- and O-rich layer with a width of $sim$10$^9$ cm and $sim$5$times 10^9$ cm, respectively. Our 3D results show that turbulent mixing occurs in both of the progenitors with the angle-averaged turbulent Mach number exceeding $sim$0.1 at the maximum. We observe that an episodic burning of O and Ne, which takes place underneath the convection bases, enhances the turbulent mixing in the 22 and 27 $M_odot$ models, respectively. The distribution of nucleosynthetic yields is significantly different from that in 1D simulations, namely, in 3D more homogeneous and inhomogeneous in the radial and angular direction, respectively. By performing a spectrum analysis, we investigate the growth of turbulence and its role of material mixing in the convective layers. We also present a scalar spherical harmonics mode analysis of the turbulent Mach number. This analytical formula would be helpful for supernova modelers to implement the precollapse perturbations in core-collapse supernova simulations. Based on the results, we discuss implications for the possible onset of the perturbation-aided neutrino-driven supernova explosion.