Two- and three-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae with CHIMERA

TL;DR

This paper presents the development and application of the multi-physics CHIMERA code for simulating core-collapse supernovae in 1D, 2D, and 3D, incorporating detailed physics to better understand the explosion mechanism.

Contribution

The paper introduces the CHIMERA code with multi-dimensional capabilities and discusses initial results from 2D simulations and plans for 3D modeling using the Yin-Yang grid.

Findings

Early 2D simulation results show promising explosion behavior.

Implementation of approximate general relativity and detailed neutrino physics.

Progress towards computationally feasible 3D supernova simulations.

Abstract

Ascertaining the core-collapse supernova mechanism is a complex, and yet unsolved, problem dependent on the interaction of general relativity, hydrodynamics, neutrino transport, neutrino-matter interactions, and nuclear equations of state and reaction kinetics. Ab initio modeling of core-collapse supernovae and their nucleosynthetic outcomes requires care in the coupling and approximations of the physical components. We have built our multi-physics CHIMERA code for supernova modeling in 1-, 2-, and 3-D, using ray-by-ray neutrino transport, approximate general relativity, and detailed neutrino and nuclear physics. We discuss some early results from our current series of exploding 2D simulations and our work to perform computationally tractable simulations in 3D using the "Yin-Yang" grid.