The relevance of the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) compared to neutrino-driven convection in three-dimensional (3D) supernova-core environments is still highly controversial. Studying a 27 Msun progenitor, we demonstrate, for the first
time, that violent SASI activity can develop in 3D simulations with detailed neutrino transport despite the presence of convection. This result was obtained with the Prometheus-Vertex code with the same sophisticated neutrino treatment so far used only in 1D and 2D models. While buoyant plumes initially determine the nonradial mass motions in the postshock layer, bipolar shock sloshing with growing amplitude sets in during a phase of shock retraction and turns into a violent spiral mode whose growth is only quenched when the infall of the Si/SiO interface leads to strong shock expansion in response to a dramatic decrease of the mass accretion rate. In the phase of large-amplitude SASI sloshing and spiral motions, the postshock layer exhibits nonradial deformation dominated by the lowest-order spherical harmonics (l=1, m=0,-1,+1) in distinct contrast to the higher multipole structures associated with neutrino-driven convection. We find that the SASI amplitudes, shock asymmetry, and nonradial kinetic energy in 3D can exceed those of the corresponding 2D case during extended periods of the evolution. We also perform parametrized 3D simulations of a 25 Msun progenitor, using a simplified, gray neutrino transport scheme, an axis-free Yin-Yang grid, and different amplitudes of random seed perturbations. They confirm the importance of the SASI for another progenitor, its independence of the choice of spherical grid, and its preferred growth for fast accretion flows connected to small shock radii and compact proto-neutron stars as previously found in 2D setups.
The neutrino-driven explosion mechanism for core-collapse supernovae in its modern flavor relies on the additional support of hydrodynamical instabilities in achieving shock revival. Two possible candidates, convection and the so-called standing accr
etion shock instability (SASI), have been proposed for this role. In this paper, we discuss new successful simulations of supernova explosions that shed light on the relative importance of these two instabilities. While convection has so far been observed to grow first in self-consistent hydrodynamical models with multi-group neutrino transport, we here present the first such simulation in which the SASI grows faster while the development of convection is initially inhibited. We illustrate the features of this SASI-dominated regime using an explosion model of a 27 solar mass progenitor, which is contrasted with a convectively-dominated model of an 8.1 solar mass progenitor with subsolar metallicity, whose early post-bounce behavior is more in line with previous 11.2 and 15 solar mass explosion models. We analyze the conditions discriminating between the two different regimes, showing that a high mass-accretion rate and a short advection time-scale are conducive for strong SASI activity. We also briefly discuss some important factors for capturing the SASI-driven regime, such as general relativity, the progenitor structure, a nuclear equation of state leading to a compact proto-neutron star, and the neutrino treatment. Finally, we evaluate possible implications of our findings for 2D and 3D supernova simulations. Our results show that a better understanding of the SASI and convection in the non-linear regime is required.
We present the first two-dimensional general relativistic (GR) simulations of stellar core collapse and explosion with the CoCoNuT hydrodynamics code in combination with the VERTEX solver for energy-dependent, three-flavor neutrino transport, using t
he extended conformal flatness condition for approximating the spacetime metric and a ray-by-ray-plus ansatz to tackle the multi-dimensionality of the transport. For both of the investigated 11.2 and 15 solar mass progenitors we obtain successful, though seemingly marginal, neutrino-driven supernova explosions. This outcome and the time evolution of the models basically agree with results previously obtained with the PROMETHEUS hydro solver including an approximative treatment of relativistic effects by a modified Newtonian potential. However, GR models exhibit subtle differences in the neutrinospheric conditions compared to Newtonian and pseudo-Newtonian simulations. These differences lead to significantly higher luminosities and mean energies of the radiated electron neutrinos and antineutrinos and therefore to larger energy-deposition rates and heating efficiencies in the gain layer with favorable consequences for strong non-radial mass motions and ultimately for an explosion. Moreover, energy transfer to the stellar medium around the neutrinospheres through nucleon recoil in scattering reactions of heavy-lepton neutrinos also enhances the mentioned effects. Together with previous pseudo-Newtonian models the presented relativistic calculations suggest that the treatment of gravity and energy-exchanging neutrino interactions can make differences of even 50-100% in some quantities and is likely to contribute to a finally successful explosion mechanism on no minor level than hydrodynamical differences between different dimensions.
We present a new general relativistic (GR) code for hydrodynamic supernova simulations with neutrino transport in spherical and azimuthal symmetry (1D/2D). The code is a combination of the CoCoNuT hydro module, which is a Riemann-solver based, high-r
esolution shock-capturing method, and the three-flavor, energy-dependent neutrino transport scheme VERTEX. VERTEX integrates the neutrino moment equations with a variable Eddington factor closure computed from a model Boltzmann equation and uses the ray-by-ray plus approximation in 2D, assuming the neutrino distribution to be axially symmetric around the radial direction, and thus the neutrino flux to be radial. Our spacetime treatment employs the ADM 3+1 formalism with the conformal flatness condition for the spatial three-metric. This approach is exact in 1D and has been shown to yield very accurate results also for rotational stellar collapse. We introduce new formulations of the energy equation to improve total energy conservation in relativistic and Newtonian hydro simulations with Eulerian finite-volume codes. Moreover, a modified version of the VERTEX scheme is developed that simultaneously conserves energy and lepton number with better accuracy and higher numerical stability. To verify our code, we conduct a series of tests, including a detailed comparison with published 1D results for stellar core collapse. Long-time simulations of proto-neutron star cooling over several seconds both demonstrate the robustness of the new CoCoNuT-VERTEX code and show the approximate treatment of GR effects by means of an effective gravitational potential as in PROMETHEUS-VERTEX to be remarkably accurate in 1D. (abridged)
An 8.8 solar mass electron-capture supernova (SN) was simulated in spherical symmetry consistently from collapse through explosion to nearly complete deleptonization of the forming neutron star. The evolution time of about 9 s is short because of nuc
leon-nucleon correlations in the neutrino opacities. After a brief phase of accretion-enhanced luminosities (~200 ms), luminosity equipartition among all species becomes almost perfect and the spectra of electron antineutrinos and muon/tau antineutrinos very similar. We discuss consequences for the neutrino-driven wind as a nucleosynthesis site and for flavor oscillations of SN neutrinos.
We discuss the flavor conversion of neutrinos from core collapse supernovae that have oxygen-neon-magnesium (ONeMg) cores. Using the numerically calculated evolution of the star up to 650 ms post bounce, we find that, for the normal mass hierarchy, t
he electron neutrino flux in a detector shows signatures of two typical features of an ONeMg-core supernova: a sharp step in the density profile at the base of the He shell and a faster shock wave propagation compared to iron core supernovae. Before the shock hits the density step (t ~ 150 ms), the survival probability of electron neutrinos is about 0.68, in contrast to values of 0.32 or less for an iron core supernova. The passage of the shock through the step and its subsequent propagation cause a decrease of the survival probability and a decrease of the amplitude of oscillations in the Earth, reflecting the transition to a more adiabatic propagation inside the star. These changes affect the lower energy neutrinos first; they are faster and more sizable for larger theta_13. They are unique of ONeMg-core supernovae, and give the possibility to test the speed of the shock wave. The time modulation of the Earth effect and its negative sign at the neutronization peak are the most robust signatures in a detector.
It has been recently proposed that the shocked surface layers of exploding O-Ne-Mg cores provide the conditions for r-process nucleosynthesis, because their rapid expansion and high entropies enable heavy r-process isotopes to form even in an environ
ment with very low initial neutron excess of the matter. We show here that the most sophisticated available hydrodynamic simulations (in spherical and axial symmetry) do not support this new r-process scenario because they fail to provide the necessary conditions of temperature, entropy, and expansion timescale by significant factors. This suggests that, either the formation of r-process elements works differently than suggested by Ning et al. (2007, NQM07), or that some essential core properties with influence on the explosion dynamics might be different from those predicted by Nomotos progenitor model.
We report here on recent progress in understanding the birth conditions of neutron stars and the way how supernovae explode. More sophisticated numerical models have led to the discovery of new phenomena in the supernova core, for example a generic h
ydrodynamic instability of the stagnant supernova shock against low-mode nonradial deformation and the excitation of gravity-wave activity in the surface and core of the nascent neutron star. Both can have supportive or decisive influence on the inauguration of the explosion, the former by improving the conditions for energy deposition by neutrino heating in the postshock gas, the latter by supplying the developing blast with a flux of acoustic power that adds to the energy transfer by neutrinos. While recent two-dimensional models suggest that the neutrino-driven mechanism may be viable for stars from about 8 solar masses to at least 15 solar masses, acoustic energy input has been advocated as an alternative if neutrino heating fails. Magnetohydrodynamic effects constitute another way to trigger explosions in connection with the collapse of sufficiently rapidly rotating stellar cores, perhaps linked to the birth of magnetars. The global explosion asymmetries seen in the recent simulations offer an explanation of even the highest measured kick velocities of young neutron stars.
Based on the shell model for Gamow-Teller and the Random Phase Approximation for forbidden transitions, we have calculated reaction rates for inelastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (INNS) under supernova (SN) conditions, assuming a matter composition
given by Nuclear Statistical Equilibrium. The rates have been incorporated into state-of-the-art stellar core-collapse simulations with detailed energy-dependent neutrino transport. While no significant effect on the SN dynamics is observed, INNS increases the neutrino opacities noticeably and strongly reduces the high-energy tail of the neutrino spectrum emitted in the neutrino burst at shock breakout. Relatedly the expected event rates for the observation of such neutrinos by earthbound detectors are reduced by up to about 60%.
It is well known that the (1x5) superstructure of Bi cuprate superconductors will be suppressed due to optimum doping with Pb. Nevertheless, a Fermi surface map of (Pb,La)-Bi2201 (Pb = 0.4 and La = 0.4) determined by angular resolved photoemission (A
RPES) revealed additional Fermi surface features. Low energy electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction of these samples showed no sign of any superstructure. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), on the other hand, revealed two distinct modulations of the charge density, one of (1x32) and a second of (6x6) periodicity. The wave vectors of both modulations have been extracted and used to simulate the corresponding Fermi surface, which is compared with the experimental one. The origin of these modulations is discussed in terms of dopant ordering.
