# Direct anthropic bound on the weak scale from supernovae explosions

## TL;DR

This paper derives a fundamental bound on the weak scale based on supernova explosion physics, suggesting that the weak scale must be finely tuned for supernovae to occur, which may be anthropically necessary for life.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel anthropic bound on the weak scale derived from supernova explosion mechanisms, supported by analytic arguments and spherical simulations.

## Key findings

- Supernova explosions require the weak scale to be within a specific range.
- The derived bound links fundamental constants to astrophysical phenomena.
- Stellar burning does not impose similar anthropic constraints.

## Abstract

Core-collapse supernovae presumably explode because trapped neutrinos push the material out of the stellar envelope. This process is directly controlled by the weak scale $v$: we argue that supernova explosions happen only if fundamental constants are tuned within a factor of few as $v \sim \Lambda_{\rm QCD}^{3/4} M_{\rm Pl}^{1/4}$, such that neutrinos are trapped in supernovae for a time comparable to the gravitational time-scale. We provide analytic arguments and simulations in spherical approximation, that need to be validated by more comprehensive simulations. The above result can be important for fundamental physics, because core-collapse supernova explosions seem anthropically needed, as they spread intermediate-mass nuclei presumably necessary for `life'. We also study stellar burning, finding that it does not provide anthropic boundaries on $v$.