Relativistic Coulomb Screening in Pulsational Pair Instability Supernovae

TL;DR

This paper investigates how relativistic electron-positron pair plasma screening affects the evolution, black hole masses, and pulsational behavior of pulsational pair-instability supernovae, revealing small but significant impacts on their dynamics.

Contribution

A new relativistic screening model incorporating pair production effects was developed and applied to supernova simulations, providing insights into their evolution and black hole formation.

Findings

Black hole masses increase slightly at high temperatures.

Pulsational periods and structures are affected by screening.

The transition between PPISNe and PISNe shifts due to screening effects.

Abstract

Context. Pulsational pair-instabilitye supernovae (PPISNe) and pair instability supernovae (PISNe) are the result of a thermonuclear runaway in the presence of a background electron-positron pair plasma. As such, their evolution and resultant black hole (BH) masses could possibly be affected by screening corrections due to the electron pair plasma. Aims. Sensitivity of PISNe and PPISNe to relativistic weak screening has been explored. Methods. In this paper a weak screening model that includes effects from relativistic pair production has been developed and applied at temperatures approaching and exceeding the thresh old for pair production. This screening model replaces "classical" screening commonly used in astrophysics. Modifications to the weak screening electron Debye length are incorporated in a computationally tractable analytic form with. Results. In PPISNe the BH masses were found to increase somewhat at high temperatures, though this increase is small. The BH collapse is also found to occur at earlier times, and the pulsational morphology also changes. In addition to the resultant BH mass, the sensitivity to the screening model of the pulsational period, the pulse structure, the PPISN-to-PISN transition, and the shift in the BH mass gap has been analyzed. The dependence of the composition of the ejected mass was also examined.