Explosive supernova core overturn and mass ejection

Journal Article · Sat Mar 15 04:00:00 EST 1980 · Astrophys. J., Lett. Ed.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/183210· OSTI ID:5286620

Colgate, S A; Petschek, A G

We show that Raleigh-Taylor convective overturn of the dynamically formed lepton-trapped core of a supernova is a likely outcome of three sequential events: (1) the bounce or weak reversal shock; (2) the diffusive and convective lepton release from the neutrinosphere during a fraction of the reversal time (approx.100 ms); and (3) the rapid (< or approx. = ms) Rayleigh-Taylor growth of the l=2 mode of an initial rotational perturbation. The overturn is explosive in the sense that the increase of gravitational binding energy appears as radial outgoing kinetic energy of a fraction of the mass of the core. The increased binding energy is due to the adiabatic interchange of lepton-poor ''heavier'' matter from the outside of the core with lepton-trapped matter from the center of the core. The difference in binding energy is 30--50 MeV per nucleon. The resulting kinetic energy of approx.7 x 10/sup 52/ ergs in more than adequate to cause the observed supernova emission. Also, it is larger than the approx.7 x 10/sup 51/ ergs of approx.10 MeV neutrinos suddenly released from the neutrinosphere as previously noted by Colgate and by Bruenn, Buchler, and Livio.

• Research Organization: University of California Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
• OSTI ID: 5286620
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J., Lett. Ed.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J., Lett. Ed.; (United States) Vol. 236:3; ISSN AJLEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics &amp; Cosmology-- Stars &amp; Quasi-Stellar
Radio &amp; X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AMPLITUDES
CONVECTIVE INSTABILITIES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENTROPY
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
FERMIONS
INSTABILITY
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEUTRINOS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
SHOCK WAVES
STAR MODELS
STARS
SUPERNOVAE
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
VARIABLE STARS