No Arabic abstract
Observational evidence suggests that some very massive stars in the local Universe may die as pair-instability supernovae. We present 2D simulations of the pair-instability supernova of a non-zero metallicity star. We find that very little mixing occurs in this explosion because metals in the stellar envelope drive strong winds that strip the hydrogen envelope from the star prior to death. Consequently, a reverse shock cannot form and trigger fluid instabilities during the supernova. Only weak mixing driven by nuclear burning occurs in the earliest stages of the supernova, and it is too weak to affect the observational signatures of the explosion.
Numerical studies of primordial star formation suggest that the first stars in the universe may have been very massive. Stellar models indicate that non-rotating Population III stars with initial masses of 140-260 Msun die as highly energetic pair-instability supernovae. We present new two-dimensional simulations of primordial pair-instability supernovae done with the CASTRO code. Our simulations begin at earlier times than previous multidimensional models, at the onset of core collapse, to capture any dynamical instabilities that may be seeded by collapse and explosive burning. Such instabilities could enhance explosive yields by mixing hot ash with fuel, thereby accelerating nuclear burning, and affect the spectra of the supernova by dredging up heavy elements from greater depths in the star at early times. Our grid of models includes both blue supergiants and red supergiants over the range in progenitor mass expected for these events. We find that fluid instabilities driven by oxygen and helium burning arise at the upper and lower boundaries of the oxygen shell $sim$ 20 - 100 seconds after core bounce. Instabilities driven by burning freeze out after the SN shock exits the helium core. As the shock later propagates through the hydrogen envelope, a strong reverse shock forms that drives the growth of Rayleigh--Taylor instabilities. In red supergiant progenitors, the amplitudes of these instabilities are sufficient to mix the supernova ejecta.
Massive stars of helium cores of 35-65 Msun eventually encounter the electron/positron creation instability, and it triggers explosive carbon or oxygen burning that produces several thermonuclear eruptions. The resulting catastrophe collisions of eruptive shells sometimes produce luminous transients with peak luminosity of $10^{43} - 10^{44}$ erg/sec, known as pulsational pair-instability supernovae (PPISNe). Previous 2D simulations of colliding shells show the development of Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities and mixing. Here we present radiation hydrodynamic PPISNe simulations of a 110 Msun solar-metallicity star that was promising to produce a superluminous transit in the early work. Our comprehensive study contains a suite of one-, two-, and three-dimensional models. We discuss the impact of dimensionality and fluid instabilities on the resulting light curves. The results show the RT mixing found in previous multidimensional hydro studies transforms into a thin and distorted shell due to radiative cooling. Radiation from the wiggly shell peaks at its bolometric light curve of $sim 2times10^{43}$ erg/sec, lasting about 150 days and following with a plateau of $sim 3times10^{42}$ erg/sec for another two hundred days before it fades away. The total radiation energy emitted from colliding shells is $sim 1.8 times 10^{50}$ erg, which is $sim 27%$ of the kinetic energy of the major eruption. The dimensional effects also manifest on the physical properties, such as irregularity and thickness of the shell. Our study suggests PPISNe is a promising candidate of luminous SNe, the radiation of which originates from colliding shells with a homogeneous mixing of ejecta.
Pair-Instability Supernovae (PISNe) may signal the deaths of extremely massive stars in the local Universe or massive primordial stars after the end of the Cosmic Dark Ages. Hydrodynamic simulations of these explosions, performed in 1D, 2D, and 3D geometry, have revealed the strong dependence of mixing in the PISN ejecta on dimensionality. This chemical rearrangement is mainly driven by Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities that start to grow shortly after the collapse of the carbon-oxygen core. We investigate the effects of such mixing on the spectroscopic evolution of PISNe by post-processing explosion profiles with the radiation diffusion-equilibrium code SNEC and the implicit Monte Carlo-discrete diffusion Monte Carlo (IMC-DDMC) radiation transport code SuperNu. The first 3D radiation transport calculation of a PISN explosion is presented yielding viewing angle-dependent synthetic spectra and lightcurves. We find that while 2D and 3D mixing does not significantly affect the lightcurves of PISNe, their spectroscopic and color evolution is impacted. Strong features of intermediate mass elements dominated by silicon, magnesium and oxygen appear at different phases and reach different intensities depending on the extent of mixing in the silicon/oxygen interface of the PISN ejecta. On the other hand, we do not find a significant dependence of PISN lightcurves and spectra on viewing angle. Our results showcase the capabilities of SuperNu to handle 3D radiation transport and highlight the importance of modeling time-series of spectra in identifying PISNe with future missions.
Massive stars that end their lives with helium cores in the range of 35 to 65 Msun are known to produce repeated thermonuclear outbursts due to a recurring pair-instability. In some of these events, solar masses of material are ejected in repeated outbursts of several times 10$^{50}$ erg each. Collisions between these shells can sometimes produce very luminous transients that are visible from the edge of the observable universe. Previous 1D studies of these events produce thin, high-density shells as one ejection plows into another. Here, in the first multidimensional simulations of these collisions, we show that the development of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability truncates the growth of the high density spike and drives mixing between the shells. The progenitor is a 110 Msun solar-metallicity star that was shown in earlier work to produce a superluminous supernova. The light curve of this more realistic model has a peak luminosity and duration that are similar to those of 1D models but a structure that is smoother.
Pair-instability and pulsational pair-instability supernovae (PPISN) have not been unambiguously observed so far. They are, however, promising candidates for the progenitors of the heaviest binary black hole (BBH) mergers detected. If these BBHs are the product of binary evolution, then PPISNe could occur in very close binaries. Motivated by this, we discuss the implications of a PPISN happening with a close binary companion, and what impact these events have on the formation of merging BBHs through binary evolution. For this, we have computed a set of models of metal-poor ($Z_odot/10$) single helium stars using the texttt{MESA} software instrument. For PPISN progenitors with pre-pulse masses $>50M_odot$ we find that, after a pulse, heat deposited throughout the layers of the star that remain bound cause it to expand to more than $100R_odot$ for periods of $10^2-10^4;$~yrs depending on the mass of the progenitor. This results in long-lived phases of Roche-lobe overflow or even common-envelope events if there is a close binary companion, leading to additional electromagnetic transients associated to PPISN eruptions. If we ignore the effect of these interactions, we find that mass loss from PPISNe reduces the final black hole spin by $sim 30%$, induces eccentricities below the threshold of detectability of the LISA observatory, and can produce a double-peaked distribution of measured chirp masses in BBH mergers observed by ground-based detectors.