Core-Collapse Supernovae

Magnetic field amplification and magnetically supported explosions of collapsing, non-rotating stellar cores

We study the amplification of magnetic fields in the collapse and the post-bounce evolution of the core of a non-rotating star of 15 solar masses in axisymmetry. To this end, we solve the coupled equations of magnetohydrodynamics and neutrino transport in the two-moment approximation. The pre-collapse magnetic field is strongly amplified by compression in the infall. Initial fields of the order of 1010 G translate into proto-neutron star fields similar to the ones observed in pulsars, while stronger initial fields yield magnetar-like final field strengths. After core bounce, the field is advected through the hydrodynamically unstable neutrino-heating layer, where non-radial flows due to con…

Magnetic field amplification in collapsing, non-rotating stellar cores

Simulations of core collapse using two-moment neutrino transport

Spectral multi-flavour neutrino transport for sipernova simulations

Very Deep inside the SN 1987A Core Ejecta: Molecular Structures Seen in 3D

Most massive stars end their lives in core-collapse supernova explosions and enrich the interstellar medium with explosively nucleosynthesized elements. Following core collapse, the explosion is subject to instabilities as the shock propagates outwards through the progenitor star. Observations of the composition and structure of the innermost regions of a core-collapse supernova provide a direct probe of the instabilities and nucleosynthetic products. SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is one of very few supernovae for which the inner ejecta can be spatially resolved but are not yet strongly affected by interaction with the surroundings. Our observations of SN 1987A with the Ataca…

Neutrino pair annihilation near accreting, stellar-mass black holes

We investigate the energy-momentum deposition due to neutrino-antineutrino annihilation in the vicinity of axisymmetric, accreting black holes (BHs) by numerically ray-tracing neutrino trajectories in a Kerr space-time. Hyperaccreting stellar-mass BHs are widely considered as energy sources that can drive ultrarelativistic outflows with the potential to produce gamma-ray bursts. In contrast to earlier works, we provide an extensive and detailed parameter study of the influence of general relativistic (GR) effects and of different neutrinosphere geometries. These include idealized thin disks, tori, and spheres, or are constructed as non-selfgravitating equilibrium matter distributions for va…

Off-Axis Properties of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

Based on recent models of relativistic jet formation by thermal energy deposition around black hole-torus systems, the relation between the on- and off-axis appearance of short, hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is discussed in terms of energetics, duration, average Lorentz factor, and probability of observation, assuming that the central engines are remnants of binary neutron star or neutron star-black hole mergers. As a consequence of the interaction with the torus matter at the jet basis and the subsequent expansion of the jets into an extremely low-density environment, the collimated ultrarelativistic outflows possess flat core profiles with only little variation of radially-averaged propert…