Tobias Fischer

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.

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.

CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA EQUATIONS OF STATE BASED ON NEUTRON STAR OBSERVATIONS

Many of the currently available equations of state for core-collapse supernova simulations give large neutron star radii and do not provide large enough neutron star masses, both of which are inconsistent with some recent neutron star observations. In addition, one of the critical uncertainties in the nucleon-nucleon interaction, the nuclear symmetry energy, is not fully explored by the currently available equations of state. In this article, we construct two new equations of state which match recent neutron star observations and provide more flexibility in studying the dependence on nuclear matter properties. The equations of state are also provided in tabular form, covering a wide range in density, temperature, and asymmetry, suitable for astrophysical simulations. These new equations of state are implemented into our spherically symmetric core-collapse supernova model, which is based on general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics with three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport. The results are compared with commonly used equations of state in supernova simulations of 11.2 and 40 M ☉ progenitors. We consider only equations of state which are fitted to nuclear binding energies and other experimental and observational constraints. We find that central densities at bounce are weakly correlated with L and that there is a moderate influence of the symmetry energy on the evolution of the electron fraction. The new models also obey the previously observed correlation between the time to black hole formation and the maximum mass of an s = 4 neutron star.

NEW EQUATIONS OF STATE IN SIMULATIONS OF CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE

We discuss three new equations of state (EOS) in core-collapse supernova simulations. The new EOS are based on the nuclear statistical equilibrium model of Hempel and Schaffner-Bielich (HS), which includes excluded volume effects and relativistic mean-field (RMF) interactions. We consider the RMF parameterizations TM1, TMA, and FSUgold. These EOS are implemented into our spherically symmetric core-collapse supernova model, which is based on general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics and three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport. The results obtained for the new EOS are compared with the widely used EOS of H. Shen et al. and Lattimer & Swesty. The systematic comparison shows that the model description of inhomogeneous nuclear matter is as important as the parameterization of the nuclear interactions for the supernova dynamics and the neutrino signal. Furthermore, several new aspects of nuclear physics are investigated: the HS EOS contains distributions of nuclei, including nuclear shell effects. The appearance of light nuclei, e.g., deuterium and tritium, is also explored, which can become as abundant as alphas and free protons. In addition, we investigate the black hole formation in failed core-collapse supernovae, which is mainly determined by the high-density EOS. We find that temperature effects lead to a systematically faster collapse for the non-relativistic LS EOS in comparison with the RMF EOS. We deduce a new correlation for the time until black hole formation, which allows the determination of the maximum mass of proto-neutron stars, if the neutrino signal from such a failed supernova would be measured in the future. This would give a constraint for the nuclear EOS at finite entropy, complementary to observations of cold neutron stars.

Core-collapse supernova explosions triggered by a quark-hadron phase transition during the early post-bounce phase

We explore explosions of massive stars, which are triggered via the quark-hadron phase transition during the early post-bounce phase of core-collapse supernovae. We construct a quark equation of state, based on the bag model for strange quark matter. The transition between the hadronic and the quark phases is constructed applying Gibbs conditions. The resulting quark-hadron hybrid equations of state are used in core-collapse supernova simulations, based on general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics and three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport in spherical symmetry. The formation of a mixed phase reduces the adiabatic index, which induces the gravitational collapse of the central protoneutron star (PNS). The collapse halts in the pure quark phase, where the adiabatic index increases. A strong accretion shock forms, which propagates toward the PNS surface. Due to the density decrease of several orders of magnitude, the accretion shock turns into a dynamic shock with matter outflow. This moment defines the onset of the explosion in supernova models that allow for a quark-hadron phase transition, where otherwise no explosions could be obtained. The shock propagation across the neutrinospheres releases a burst of neutrinos. This serves as a strong observable identification for the structural reconfiguration of the stellar core. The ejected matter expands on a short timescale and remains neutron-rich. These conditions might be suitable for the production of heavy elements via the r-process. The neutron-rich material is followed by proton-rich neutrino-driven ejecta in the later cooling phase of the PNS where the νp-process might occur.

A new quark-hadron hybrid equation of state for astrophysics - I. High-mass twin compact stars

Aims: We present a new microscopic hadron-quark hybrid equation of state model for astrophysical applications, from which compact hybrid star configurations are constructed. These are composed of a quark core and a hadronic shell with a first-order phase transition at their interface. The resulting mass-radius relations are in accordance with the latest astrophysical constraints. Methods: The quark matter description is based on a quantum chromodynamics (QCD) motivated chiral approach with higher-order quark interactions in the Dirac scalar and vector coupling channels. For hadronic matter we select a relativistic mean-field equation of state with density-dependent couplings. Since the nucleons are treated in the quasi-particle framework, an excluded volume correction has been included for the nuclear equation of state at suprasaturation density which takes into account the finite size of the nucleons. Results: These novel aspects, excluded volume in the hadronic phase and the higher-order repulsive interactions in the quark phase, lead to a strong first-order phase transition with large latent heat, i.e. the energy-density jump at the phase transition, which fulfils a criterion for a disconnected third-family branch of compact stars in the mass-radius relationship. These twin stars appear at high masses (

Charged-Current Weak Interaction Processes in Hot and Dense Matter and its Impact on the Spectra of Neutrinos Emitted from Protoneutron Star Cooling

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Revisiting the SN1987A gamma-ray limit on ultralight axion-like particles

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ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EQUATION OF STATE FOR THE NEUTRINO-DRIVEN SUPERNOVA EXPLOSION MECHANISM

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Neutrino spectra evolution during protoneutron star deleptonization

) that are relevant for current observations of high-mass pulsars. Conclusions: This analysis offers a unique possibility by radius observations of compact stars to probe the QCD phase diagram at zero temperature and large chemical potential and even to support the existence of a critical point in the QCD phase diagram.