An Exploration of the Equation of State Dependence of Core-Collapse Supernova Explosion Outcomes and Signatures

TL;DR

This study uses advanced 3D simulations to analyze how different nuclear equations of state influence core-collapse supernova explosion characteristics and observable signatures.

Contribution

It compares the effects of SFHo and DD2 equations of state on supernova outcomes, highlighting differences in explosion energy, neutrino signals, and gravitational waves.

Findings

DD2 EOS results in a more extended protoneutron star with lower densities.

Faster explosion with SFHo yields more neutron-rich ejecta and a weak r-process.

Neutrino and gravitational-wave signals differ significantly between EOS models.

Abstract

We explore, using a state-of-the-art simulation code in 3D and to late enough times to witness final observables, the dependence of core-collapse supernova explosions on the nuclear equation of state. Going beyond questions of explodability, we compare final explosion energies, nucleosynthetic yields, recoil kicks, and gravitational-wave and neutrino signatures using the SFHo and DD2 nuclear equations of state (EOS) for a 9-$M_{\odot}$/solar-metallicity progenitor star. The DD2 EOS is stiffer and has a lower effective nucleon mass. The result is a more extended protoneutron star (PNS) and lower central densities. As a consequence, the mean neutrino energies, final explosion energy, and recoil kick speed are lower. Moreover, the evolution of PNS convection differs between the two EOS models in significant ways. This translates in part into interestingly altered neutrino ``light" curves and noticeably altered gravitational-wave signal strengths and frequency characteristics that may be diagnostic. The faster exploding model (SFHo) yields slightly more neutron-rich ejecta and more species with atomic weights between 60 and 90 and a weak r-process. However, this is merely a preliminary study. The next step is a more comprehensive and multi-progenitor set of 3D supernova simulations for various EOSes to late times when the observables have asymptoted. Such a future investigation will have a direct bearing on the neutron star and black hole birth mass functions and the quest towards a fully quantitative theory of supernova observables.