Three Dimensional Core-Collapse Supernova Simulations with 160 Isotopic Species Evolved to Shock Breakout

TL;DR

This paper presents detailed 3D simulations of core-collapse supernovae tracking 160 isotopic species to shock breakout, revealing how explosion morphology and metal-rich ejecta velocities depend on initial conditions and dimensionality.

Contribution

It introduces comprehensive 3D supernova simulations with extensive isotopic tracking, highlighting the impact of dimensionality and initial models on explosion dynamics and ejecta velocities.

Findings

Maximum $^{56} m{Ni}$ velocities of ~1950 km/s and ~1750 km/s in 9.6-$M_{igodot}$ models.

Higher velocity structures are suppressed when 2D and 3D meshes are aligned.

Faster growing spherical-bubble structures influence shock interaction and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities.

Abstract

We present three-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae using the FLASH code that follow the progression of the explosion to the stellar surface, starting from neutrino-radiation hydrodynamic simulations of the neutrino-driven phase performed with the CHIMERA code. We consider a 9.6-$M_{\odot}$ zero-metallicity progenitor starting from both 2D and 3D CHIMERA models, and a 10-$M_{\odot}$ solar-metallicity progenitor starting from a 2D CHIMERA model, all simulated until shock breakout in 3D while tracking 160 nuclear species. The relative velocity difference between the supernova shock and the metal-rich Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) "bullets" determines how the metal-rich ejecta evolves as it propagates through the density profile of the progenitor and dictates the final morphology of the explosion. We find maximum $^{56}\rm{Ni}$ velocities of ${\sim} 1950~\rm{km~s}^{-1}$ and ${\sim} 1750~\rm{km~s}^{-1}$ at shock breakout from 2D and 3D 9.6-$M_{\odot}$ CHIMERA models, respectively, due to the bullets' ability to penetrate the He/H shell. When mapping from 2D, we find that the development of higher velocity structures is suppressed when the 2D CHIMERA model and 3D FLASH model meshes are aligned. The development of faster growing spherical-bubble structures, as opposed to the slower growing toroidal structure imposed by axisymmetry, allows for interaction of the bullets with the shock and seeds further R-T instabilities at the He/H interface. We see similar effects in the 10-$M_{\odot}$ model, which achieves maximum $^{56}\rm{Ni}$ velocities of ${\sim} 2500~\rm{km~s}^{-1}$ at shock breakout.