Gravitational Wave Signatures from Low-mode Spiral Instabilities in Rapidly Rotating Supernova Cores

TL;DR

This study uses 3D general-relativistic simulations to analyze gravitational wave signatures from rapidly rotating supernova cores, revealing quasi-periodic signals linked to spiral instabilities that are detectable by next-generation observatories.

Contribution

It provides new insights into GW signals from non-axisymmetric instabilities in rotating supernova cores using detailed 3D simulations with neutrino transport.

Findings

Quasi-periodic GW signals from spiral modes during prompt convection.

GW frequencies explained by acoustic waves between shock and proto-neutron star.

Detectability of signals by KAGRA and Advanced LIGO for Galactic sources.

Abstract

We study properties of gravitational waves (GWs) from rotating core-collapse of a 15M_odot star by performing three-dimensional general-relativistic hydrodynamic simulations with an approximate neutrino transport. By parametrically changing the precollapse angular momentum, we focus on the effects of rotation on the GW signatures in the early postbounce evolution. Regarding three-flavor neutrino transport, we solve the energy-averaged set of radiation energy and momentum based on the Thorne's momentum formalism. In addition to the gravitational quadrupole radiation from matter motions, we take into account GWs from anisotropic neutrino emission. With these computations, our results present several supporting evidences for the previous anticipation that non-axisymmetric instabilities play an essential role in determining the postbounce GW signatures. During prompt convection, we find that the waveforms show narrow-band and highly quasi-periodic signals which persist until the end of simulations. We point out that such feature reflects the growth of the one-armed spiral modes. The typical frequency of the quasi-periodic waveforms can be well explained by the propagating acoustic waves between the stalled shock and the rotating proto-neutron star surface, which suggests the appearance of the standing-accretion-shock instability. Although the GW signals exhibit strong variability between the two polarizations and different observer directions, they are within the detection limits of next generation detectors such as by KAGRA and Advanced LIGO, if the source with sufficient angular momentum is located in our Galaxy.