The Physical Effects of Progenitor Rotation: Comparing Two Long-Duration 3D Core-Collapse Supernova Simulations

TL;DR

This study compares two 3D supernova simulations with different progenitor rotations, revealing that modest rotation influences proto-neutron star convection, neutrino emissions, and magnetic field growth, with minimal impact on explosion energy.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed comparison of long-duration 3D supernova simulations with and without progenitor rotation, highlighting effects on PNS convection and magnetic field development.

Findings

Rotating model explodes slightly earlier than non-rotating.

Both models have similar explosion energies (~10^50 ergs).

Rotating model shows more vigorous PNS convection and altered neutrino and gravitational-wave signals.

Abstract

We analyse and determine the effects of modest progenitor rotation in the context of core-collapse supernovae by comparing two separate long-duration three-dimensional simulations of 9 M$_{\odot}$ progenitors, one rotating with an initial spin period of $\sim$60 seconds and the other non-rotating. We determine that both models explode early, though the rotating model explodes a bit earlier. Despite this difference, the asymptotic explosion energies ($\sim$10$^{50}$ ergs) and residual neutron star baryon masses ($\sim$1.3 M$_{\odot}$) are similar. We find that the proto-neutron star (PNS) core can deleptonize and cool significantly more quickly. Soon into the evolution of the rotating model, we witness more vigorous and extended PNS core convection that early in its evolution envelopes the entire inner sphere, not just a shell. Moreover, we see a corresponding excursion in both the $\nu_e$ luminosity and gravitational-wave strain that may be diagnostic of this observed dramatic phenomenon. In addition, after bounce the innermost region of the rotating model seems to execute meridional circulation. The rotationally-induced growth of the convective PNS region may facilitate the growth of core B-fields by the dynamo mechanism by facilitating the achievement of the critical Rossby number condition for substantial growth of a dipole field, obviating the need for rapid rotation rates to create dipole fields of significance. The next step is to explore the progenitor-mass and spin dependencies across the progenitor continuum of the supernova explosion, dynamics, and evolution of PNS convection and its potential role in the generation of magnetar and pulsar magnetic fields.