Explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae: role of the Si/O interface

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, reliable criterion based on pre-collapse density and entropy profiles to predict supernova explodability, validated through extensive simulations and applicable across different stellar models.

Contribution

The study develops a quantitative explodability criterion using 1D simulations that accurately predicts supernova outcomes and highlights the influence of stellar evolution uncertainties.

Findings

The criterion predicts supernova outcomes with over 90% accuracy.

Progenitor properties like density and entropy profiles are key to explodability.

Uncertainties in stellar evolution models significantly affect explosion predictions.

Abstract

We present a simple criterion to predict the explodability of massive stars based on the density and entropy profiles before collapse. If a pronounced density jump is present near the Si/Si-O interface, the star will likely explode. We develop a quantitative criterion by using $\sim 1300$ 1D simulations where $\nu$-driven turbulence is included via time-dependent mixing-length theory. This criterion correctly identifies the outcome of the supernova more than $90 \%$ of the time. We also find no difference in how this criterion performs on two different sets of progenitors, evolved using two different stellar evolution codes: FRANEC and KEPLER. The explodability as a function of mass of the two sets of progenitors is very different, showing: (i) that uncertainties in the stellar evolution prescriptions influence the predictions of supernova explosions; (ii) the most important properties of the pre-collapse progenitor that influence the explodability are its density and entropy profiles. We highlight the importance that $\nu$-driven turbulence plays in the explosion by comparing our results to previous works.