Core-Collapse Supernova Simulations including Neutrino Interactions from the Virial EOS

TL;DR

This study investigates how corrections to neutrino-nucleon scattering affect core-collapse supernova simulations, emphasizing the importance of accurate neutrino interactions in modeling explosion dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces specific corrections to neutrino-nucleon scattering in supernova simulations and assesses their impact on explosion outcomes using two-dimensional neutrino-radiation-hydrodynamics.

Findings

Explosion properties are sensitive to neutrino scattering corrections.

Corrections impact dynamics at densities above 10^{12} g/cm^3.

Neutrino interaction accuracy is crucial for realistic supernova models.

Abstract

Core-collapse supernova explosions are driven by a central engine that converts a small fraction of the gravitational binding energy released during core collapse to outgoing kinetic energy. The suspected mode for this energy conversion is the neutrino mechanism, where a fraction of the neutrinos emitted from the newly formed protoneutron star are absorbed by and heat the matter behind the supernova shock. Accurate neutrino-matter interaction terms are crucial for simulating these explosions. In this proceedings for IAUS 331, SN 1987A, 30 years later, we explore several corrections to the neutrino-nucleon scattering opacity and demonstrate the effect on the dynamics of the core-collapse supernova central engine via two dimensional neutrino-radiation-hydrodynamics simulations. Our results reveal that the explosion properties are sensitive to corrections to the neutral-current scattering cross section at the 10-20% level, but only for densities at or above $\sim 10^{12}$ g cm$^{-3}$