Inferring Core-Collapse Supernova Physics with Gravitational Waves

TL;DR

This paper presents a method using Principal Component Analysis and Bayesian model selection to identify the core-collapse supernova explosion mechanism from gravitational wave signals, with potential detection distances up to several kiloparsecs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to determine supernova explosion mechanisms from gravitational wave data using PCA and Bayesian analysis, improving identification accuracy.

Findings

Can distinguish magnetorotational explosions throughout the Milky Way.

Differentiates neutrino and acoustic mechanisms up to 2 kpc.

Reliable model differentiation for collapsing white dwarfs and iron cores.

Abstract

Stellar collapse and the subsequent development of a core-collapse supernova explosion emit bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) that might be detected by the advanced generation of laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatories such as Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, and LCGT. GW bursts from core-collapse supernovae encode information on the intricate multi-dimensional dynamics at work at the core of a dying massive star and may provide direct evidence for the yet uncertain mechanism driving supernovae in massive stars. Recent multi-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae exploding via the neutrino, magnetorotational, and acoustic explosion mechanisms have predicted GW signals which have distinct structure in both the time and frequency domains. Motivated by this, we describe a promising method for determining the most likely explosion mechanism underlying a hypothetical GW signal, based on Principal Component Analysis and Bayesian model selection. Using simulated Advanced LIGO noise and assuming a single detector and linear waveform polarization for simplicity, we demonstrate that our method can distinguish magnetorotational explosions throughout the Milky Way (D <~ 10kpc) and explosions driven by the neutrino and acoustic mechanisms to D <~ 2kpc. Furthermore, we show that we can differentiate between models for rotating accretion-induced collapse of massive white dwarfs and models of rotating iron core collapse with high reliability out to several kpc.