Two-dimensional simulations of pulsational pair-instability supernovae
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)
- Monash Centre for Astrophysics, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800 (Australia)
- Center for Computational Sciences and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
Massive stars that end their lives with helium cores in the range of 35-65 M {sub ☉} are known to produce repeated thermonuclear outbursts due to a recurring pair-instability. In some of these events, solar masses of material are ejected in repeated outbursts of several × 10{sup 50} erg each. Collisions between these shells can sometimes produce very luminous transients that are visible from the edge of the observable universe. Previous one-dimensional (1D) studies of these events produce thin, high-density shells as one ejection plows into another. Here, in the first multi-dimensional simulations of these collisions, we show that the development of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability truncates the growth of the high-density spike and drives mixing between the shells. The progenitor is a 110 M {sub ☉} solar-metallicity star that was shown in earlier work to produce a superluminous supernova. The light curve of this more realistic model has a peak luminosity and duration that are similar to those of 1D models but a structure that is smoother.
- OSTI ID:
- 22365212
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 792, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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