WoU-MMA: Core-collapse and Electron-capture supernovae from neutron star formation to observation

Core-collapse supernovae (CCSN), some of the largest explosions in the universe, are the culmination of massive stellar evolution and the principal actors in the story of our elemental origins. Supernovae (SNe) in general result from the collapse of massive stars with cores composed of iron as conventional CCSN, but they may also result from the collapse of some less massive stars with cores composed of oxygen and neon, yielding electron capture supernovae (ECSN). This project seeks to improve our understanding of the impact that the turbulent, neutrino-driven nature of supernova explosions has on observations of SNe, SN remnants, and galactic chemical evolution. First, the team will investigate the explosions that result from the lightest stars to produce SNe, determining how ECSN can be observationally distinguished from CCSN. Second, the team will determine the full range of nucleosynthesis products that may be observed in the ejecta. By building a chain of simulations connecting the central engine, responsible for neutrino and gravitational wave signals, with the nucleosynthesis and subsequent hydrodynamics, responsible for shaping the electromagnetic signals, this work will help deliver on the promise of multi-messenger astronomy. The project will support graduate students, and the project team will give public lectures on topics explored in the research. The pair of projects will result in a world-leading ability to simulate CCSN and ECSN and compare the predictions of these supernova models with observations of SNe, SN remnants and galactic chemical evolution. Nucleosynthesis from these complex models is a central theme of this work, as the composition and distribution of the elements affects the interpretation of these observations. The models will shed light on the gaps in our current understanding of supernova nucleosynthesis, which relies heavily on parameterized spherically symmetric models, enabling a better understanding of the nucleosynthesis in these powerful explosions. As members of the CHIMERA and Flash-X collaborations, leading efforts investigating the central engine of CCSN, the research team is ideally positioned to carry out this investigation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.