Can a supernova bang twice?

TL;DR

This paper explores how a QCD phase transition during a core-collapse supernova can produce a second shock wave, leading to a detectable second peak in the neutrino spectrum, with implications for supernova physics.

Contribution

It presents detailed numerical simulations showing that a QCD phase transition can cause a second shock wave and a corresponding neutrino signal in supernovae.

Findings

A second shock wave emerges shortly after bounce due to the QCD phase transition.

A second peak appears in the antineutrino spectrum, detectable in current neutrino detectors.

The phenomenon provides a potential observational signature of QCD phase transitions in supernovae.

Abstract

The implications of a QCD phase transition at high temperatures and densities for core-collapse supernovae are discussed. For a strong first order phase transition to quark matter, various scenarios have been put forward in the literature. Here, detailed numerical simulations including neutrino transport are presented, where it is found that a second shock wave due to the QCD phase transition emerges shortly after bounce. It is demonstrated that such a supernova banging twice results in a second peak in the antineutrino spectrum. This second peak is clearly detectable in present neutrino detectors for a galactic supernova.