3-Dimensional Core-Collapse

TL;DR

This paper presents 3D simulations of rotating star collapses, showing rotation influences convection but does not cause core fragmentation or magnetic dominance, with implications for supernova mechanisms and pulsar energies.

Contribution

It provides detailed 3D collapse simulations across various stellar progenitors, analyzing the effects of rotation and magnetic fields on supernova dynamics and pulsar formation.

Findings

Rotation modifies convection above proto-neutron star.

Magnetic fields are not strong enough to dominate explosion.

Fastest rotators may produce energetic pulsars.

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of 3-dimensional collapse simulations of rotating stars for a range of stellar progenitors. We find that for the fastest spinning stars, rotation does indeed modify the convection above the proto-neutron star, but it is not fast enough to cause core fragmentation. Similarly, although strong magnetic fields can be produced once the proto-neutron star cools and contracts, the proto-neutron star is not spinning fast enough to generate strong magnetic fields quickly after collapse and, for our simulations, magnetic fields will not dominate the supernova explosion mechanism. Even so, the resulting pulsars for our fastest rotating models may emit enough energy to dominate the total explosion energy of the supernova. However, more recent stellar models predict rotation rates that are much too slow to affect the explosion, but these models are not sophisticated enough to determine whether the most recent, or past, stellar rotation rates are most likely. Thus, we must rely upon observational constraints to determine the true rotation rates of stellar cores just before collapse. We conclude with a discussion of the possible constraints on stellar rotation which we can derive from core-collapse supernovae.