Simulating the inflation of bubbles by late jets in core collapse supernova ejecta

TL;DR

This study uses 3D hydrodynamical simulations to explore how late jets from a neutron star or black hole inflate bubbles in supernova ejecta, affecting the light curve and potential transient observations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the effects of late jets on supernova ejecta structure and light curves, supporting the CEJSN scenario for certain fast transients.

Findings

Late jets create bipolar bubbles that influence the supernova's light curve.

Bubbles cause earlier photosphere crossing in polar directions, affecting observed brightness.

Results support the idea that jets can produce fast blue optical transients like AT2018cow.

Abstract

We conducted three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations to study the interaction of two late opposite jets with the ejecta of a core collapse supernova (CCSN), and study the bipolar structure that results from this interaction as the jets inflate hot-low-density bubbles. The newly born central object, a neutron star (NS; or a black hole), launches these jets at about 50 to 100 days after explosion. The bubbles cross the photosphere in the polar directions at much earlier times than the regions at the same radii near the equatorial plane. The hot bubbles releases more radiation and the photosphere recedes more rapidly in the tenuous bubble. Our results strengthen earlier claims that were based on toy models that such an interaction might lead to a late peak in the light curve, and that an equatorial observer might see a rapid drop in the light curve. Our results might have implications to much earlier jets that explode the star, either jets that the newly born NS launches in a CCSN, or jets that a NS companion that merges with the core of a massive star launches in a common envelope jets supernova (CEJSN) event. Our results add indirect support to the CEJSN scenario for fast blue optical transients, e.g., AT2018cow, ZTF18abvkwla, and CSS161010.