The survival of nuclei in jets associated with core-collapse supernovae

TL;DR

This paper investigates the survival of heavy nuclei in jets from core-collapse supernovae, finding that certain jet conditions allow nuclei to survive, which has implications for cosmic ray origins and multi-messenger signals.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of nuclei destruction processes in supernova jets, highlighting conditions that favor the survival of heavy nuclei in different jet models.

Findings

Nuclei can survive in jets where collisional cooling outpaces spallation.

High-luminosity GRB jets are less favorable for nuclei survival.

Magnetic dominated and low-luminosity jets are more conducive to heavy nuclei presence.

Abstract

Heavy nuclei such as nickel-56 are synthesized in a wide range of core-collapse supernovae (CCSN), including energetic supernovae associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Recent studies suggest that jet-like outflows are a common feature of CCSN. These outflows may entrain synthesized nuclei at launch or during propagation, and provide interesting multi-messenger signals including heavy ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Here, we investigate the destruction processes of nuclei during crossing from the stellar material into the jet material via a cocoon, and during propagation after being successfully loaded into the jet. We find that nuclei can survive for a range of jet parameters because collisional cooling is faster than spallation. While canonical high-luminosity GRB jets may contain nuclei, magnetic dominated models or low-luminosity jets with small bulk Lorentz factors are more favorable for having a more significant heavy nuclei component.