Heavy sterile neutrinos in stellar core-collapse

2018

We perform spherically symmetric simulations of the core collapse of a single progenitor star of zero age main sequence mass $M_{\rm ZAMS} = 15 \, M_{\odot}$ with two models of heavy sterile neutrinos in the mass range of hundred MeV$/c^2$. According to both models, these hypothetical particles are copiously produced in the center, stream outwards a subsequently decay releasing energy into final states (including neutrinos) of the Standard Model. We find that they can lead to a successful explosion in otherwise non-exploding progenitors. Depending on their unknown parameters (e.g., mass and coupling constants with matter), we obtain either no explosion or an explosion of one of two types, i…