Matthias Liebendörfer

Protoneutron star evolution and the neutrino driven wind in general relativistic neutrino radiation hydrodynamics simulations

Massive stars end their lives in explosions with kinetic energies on the order of 10 51 erg. Immediately after the explosion has been launched, a region of low density and high entropy forms behind the ejecta, which is continuously subject to neutrino heating. The neutrinos emitted from the remnant at the center, the protoneutron star (PNS), heat the material above the PNS surface. This heat is partly converted into kinetic energy, and the material accelerates to an outflow that is known as the neutrino-driven wind. For the first time we simulate the collapse, bounce, explosion, and the neutrino-driven wind phases consistently over more than 20 s. Our numerical model is based on spherically symmetric general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics using spectral three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport. In simulations where no explosions are obtained naturally, we model neutrino-driven explosions for low- and intermediatemass Fe-core progenitor stars by enhancing the charged current reaction rates. In the case of a special progenitor star, the 8. 8M � O-Ne-Mg-core, the explosion in spherical symmetry was obtained without enhanced opacities. The post-explosion evolution is in qualitative agreement with static steady-state and parametrized dynamic models of the neutrino-driven wind. On the other hand, we generally find lower neutrino luminosities and mean neutrino energies, as well as a different evolutionary behavior of the neutrino luminosities and mean neutrino energies. The neutrino-driven wind is proton-rich for more than 10 s and the contraction of the PNS differs from the assumptions made for the conditions at the inner boundary in previous neutrino-driven wind studies. Despite the moderately high entropies of about 100 kB/baryon and the fast expansion timescales, the conditions found in our models are unlikely to favor r-process nucleosynthesis. The simulations are carried out until the neutrino-driven wind settles down to a quasi-stationary state. About 5 s after the bounce, the peak temperature inside the PNS already starts to decrease because of the continued deleptonization. This moment determines the beginning of a cooling phase dominated by the emission of neutrinos. We discuss the physical conditions of the quasi-static PNS evolution and take the effects of deleptonization and mass accretion from early fallback into account.

Probing the gravitational well: No supernova explosion in spherical symmetry with general relativistic Boltzmann neutrino transport

We report on the stellar core collapse, bounce, and postbounce evolution of a 13 M{sub 0} star in a self-consistent general relativistic spherically symmetric simulation based on Boltzmann neutrino transport. We conclude that approximations to exact neutrino transport and the omission of general relativistic effects were not alone responsible for the failure of numerous preceding attempts to model supernova explosions in spherical symmetry. Compared to simulations in Newtonian gravity, the general relativistic simulation results in a smaller shock radius. We however argue that the higher neutrino luminosities and rms energies in the general relativistic case could lead to a larger supernova explosion energy.

Supernova Simulations with Boltzmann Neutrino Transport: A Comparison of Methods

Accurate neutrino transport has been built into spherically symmetric simulations of stellar core collapse and postbounce evolution. The results of such simulations agree that spherically symmetric models with standard microphysical input fail to explode by the delayed, neutrino-driven mechanism. Independent groups implemented fundamentally different numerical methods to tackle the Boltzmann neutrino transport equation. Here we present a direct and detailed comparison of such neutrino radiation-hydrodynamics simulations for two codes, AGILE-BOLTZTRAN of the Oak Ridge-Basel group and VERTEX of the Garching group. The former solves the Boltzmann equation directly by an implicit, general relativistic discrete-angle method on the adaptive grid of a conservative implicit hydrodynamics code with second-order TVD advection. In contrast, the latter couples a variable Eddington factor technique with an explicit, moving-grid, conservative high-order Riemann solver with important relativistic effects treated by an effective gravitational potential. The presented study is meant to test our neutrino radiation-hydrodynamics implementations and to provide a data basis for comparisons and verifications of supernova codes to be developed in the future. Results are discussed for simulations of the core collapse and postbounce evolution of a 13 M☉ star with Newtonian gravity and a 15 M☉ star with relativistic gravity.

Simulation of the Spherically Symmetric Stellar Core Collapse, Bounce, and Postbounce Evolution of a Star of 13 Solar Masses with Boltzmann Neutrino Transport, and Its Implications for the Supernova Mechanism

With exact three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport, we simulate the stellar core collapse, bounce, and postbounce evolution of a 13M star in spherical symmetry, the Newtonian limit, without invoking convection. In the absence of convection, prior spherically symmetric models, which implemented approximations to Boltzmann transport, failed to produce explosions. We consider exact transport to determine if these failures were due to the transport approximations made and to answer remaining fundamental questions in supernova theory. The model presented here is the first in a sequence of models beginning with different progenitors. In this model, a supernova explosion is not obtained.

A Finite Difference Representation of Neutrino Radiation Hydrodynamics in Spherically Symmetric General Relativistic Spacetime

We present an implicit finite difference representation for general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics in spherical symmetry. Our code, AGILE-BOLTZTRAN, solves the Boltzmann transport equation for the angular and spectral neutrino distribution functions in self-consistent simulations of stellar core collapse and postbounce evolution. It implements a dynamically adaptive grid in comoving coordinates. A comoving frame in the momentum phase space facilitates the evaluation and tabulation of neutrino-matter interaction cross sections but produces a multitude of observer corrections in the transport equation. Most macroscopically interesting physical quantities are defined by expectation values of the distribution function. We optimize the finite differencing of the microscopic transport equation for a consistent evolution of important expectation values. We test our code in simulations launched from progenitor stars with 13 solar masses and 40 solar masses. Half a second after core collapse and bounce, the protoneutron star in the latter case reaches its maximum mass and collapses further to form a black hole. When the hydrostatic gravitational contraction sets in, we find a transient increase in electron flavor neutrino luminosities due to a change in the accretion rate. The μ- and τ-neutrino luminosities and rms energies, however, continue to rise because previously shock-heated material with a nondegenerate electron gas starts to replace the cool degenerate material at their production site. We demonstrate this by supplementing the concept of neutrinospheres with a more detailed statistical description of the origin of escaping neutrinos. Adhering to our tradition, we compare the evolution of the 13 M⊙ progenitor star to corresponding simulations with the multigroup flux-limited diffusion approximation, based on a recently developed flux limiter. We find similar results in the postbounce phase and validate this MGFLD approach for the spherically symmetric case with standard input physics.

MAGNETOROTATIONALLY DRIVEN SUPERNOVAE AS THE ORIGIN OF EARLY GALAXY r-PROCESS ELEMENTS?

We examine magnetorotationally driven supernovae as sources of r-process elements in the early Galaxy. On the basis of thermodynamic histories of tracer particles from a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical core-collapse supernova model with approximated neutrino transport, we perform nucleosynthesis calculations with and without considering the effects of neutrino absorption reactions on the electron fraction (Ye ) during post-processing. We find that the peak distribution of Ye in the ejecta is shifted from ~0.15 to ~0.17 and broadened toward higher Ye due to neutrino absorption. Nevertheless, in both cases, the second and third peaks of the solar r-process element distribution can be reproduced well. The rare progenitor configuration that was used here, characterized by a high rotation rate and a large magnetic field necessary for the formation of bipolar jets, could naturally provide a site for the strong r-process in agreement with observations of the early Galactic chemical evolution.

Electron capture rates on nuclei and implications for stellar core collapse

Supernova simulations to date have assumed that during core collapse electron captures occur dominantly on free protons, while captures on heavy nuclei are Pauli blocked and are ignored. We have calculated rates for electron capture on nuclei with mass numbers A=65-112 for the temperatures and densities appropriate for core collapse. We find that these rates are large enough so that, in contrast to previous assumptions, electron capture on nuclei dominates over capture on free protons. This leads to significant changes in core collapse simulations.

Signals of the QCD phase transition in core-collapse supernovae

We explore the implications of the QCD phase transition during the postbounce evolution of core-collapse supernovae. Using the MIT bag model for the description of quark matter, we model phase transitions that occur during the early postbounce evolution. This stage of the evolution can be simulated with general relativistic three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport. The phase transition produces a second shock wave that triggers a delayed supernova explosion. If such a phase transition happens in a future galactic supernova, its existence and properties should become observable as a second peak in the neutrino signal that is accompanied by significant changes in the energy of the emitted neutrinos. This second neutrino burst is dominated by the emission of antineutrinos because the electron degeneracy is reduced when the second shock passes through the previously neutronized matter.

Explosion Geometry of a Rotating 13

By performing axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of core-collapse supernovae with spectral neutrino transport based on the isotropic diffusion source approximation scheme, we support the assumption that the neutrino-heating mechanism aided by the standing accretion shock instability and convection can initiate an explosion of a 13

\ M_{\odot}

M_{\odot}