Criteria for Core-Collapse Supernova Explosions by the Neutrino Mechanism

TL;DR

This study identifies a critical neutrino luminosity condition that determines supernova explosions, showing that multi-dimensional effects lower the threshold needed for explosion compared to 1D models.

Contribution

It introduces a critical-luminosity/mass-accretion-rate criterion for supernova explosions and compares 1D and 2D simulation results, highlighting the impact of dimensionality on explosion conditions.

Findings

Critical luminosity in 2D is about 70% of that in 1D.

Non-radial instabilities are key in 2D explosion dynamics.

Heating efficiency increases during explosion phases.

Abstract

We investigate the criteria for successful core-collapse supernova explosions by the neutrino mechanism. We find that a critical-luminosity/mass-accretion-rate condition distinguishes non-exploding from exploding models in hydrodynamic one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) simulations. We present 95 such simulations that parametrically explore the dependence on neutrino luminosity, mass accretion rate, resolution, and dimensionality. While radial oscillations mediate the transition between 1D accretion (non-exploding) and exploding simulations, the non-radial standing accretion shock instability characterizes 2D simulations. We find that it is useful to compare the average dwell time of matter in the gain region with the corresponding heating timescale, but that tracking the residence time distribution function of tracer particles better describes the complex flows in multi-dimensional simulations. Integral quantities such as the net heating rate, heating efficiency, and mass in the gain region decrease with time in non-exploding models, but for 2D exploding models, increase before, during, and after explosion. At the onset of explosion in 2D, the heating efficiency is $\sim$2% to $\sim$5% and the mass in the gain region is $\sim$0.005 M$_{\sun}$ to $\sim$0.01 M$_{\sun}$. Importantly, we find that the critical luminosity for explosions in 2D is $\sim$70% of the critical luminosity required in 1D. This result is not sensitive to resolution or whether the 2D computational domain is a quadrant or the full 180$^{\circ}$. We suggest that the relaxation of the explosion condition in going from 1D to 2D (and to, perhaps, 3D) is of a general character and is not limited by the parametric nature of this study.