Supernova simulations from a 3D progenitor model – Impact of perturbations and evolution of explosion properties

Abstract

We study the impact of large-scale perturbations from convective shell burning on the corecollapse supernova explosion mechanism using 3D multigroup neutrino hydrodynamics simulations of an 18M progenitor. Seed asphericities in the O shell, obtained from a recent 3D model of O shell burning, help trigger a neutrino-driven explosion 330 ms after bounce whereas the shock is not revived in a model based on a spherically symmetric progenitor for at least another 300 ms. We tentatively infer a reduction of the critical luminosity for shock revival by 20 per cent due to pre-collapse perturbations. This indicates that convective seed perturbations play an important role in the explosion mechanism in some progenitors. We follow the evolution of the 18M model into the explosion phase for more than 2 s and find that the cycle of accretion and mass ejection is still ongoing at this stage. With a preliminary value of 7.7 10 50 erg for the diagnostic explosion energy, a baryonic neutron star mass of 1.85M , a neutron star kick of 600 km s -1 and a neutron star spin period of 20 ms at the end of the simulation, the explosion and remnant properties are slightly atypical, but still lie comfortably within the observed distribution. Although more refined simulations and a larger survey of progenitors are still called for, this suggests that a solution to the problem of shock revival and explosion energies in the ballpark of observations is within reach for neutrino-driven explosions in 3D.