Spatially Resolved Nucleosynthesis in Core Collapse Supernovae

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The investigators will simulate exploding stars, called supernovae. They are interested in the nuclear reactions during the explosion. The reactions produce many of the elements on the periodic table. The simulation will model the first second of the explosion and calculate reactions until the expelled material collides with the surrounding region. Existing images of these explosions show that many chemical elements are blown into space. The investigators will compare their models with the existing observations. The topic of exploding stars captures the public imagination. Through their writing, teaching, and public lectures, the investigators will share this project excitement. They will lead teacher training workshops for Navajo Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and Phoenix inner city schools. The investigators will explain how exploding stars are important for our life on the earth. The investigators will perform and compare three dimensional (3D) simulations of core collapse supernova explosions and remnant development with the observed spatial distribution of nuclear species in the Cassiopeia A and g292 supernova remnants (SNRs). This is the first opportunity to compare the production and distribution of elements by nuclear burning in 3D explosion simulations directly with well-studied SNRs. Their comparison can provide important constraints on the characteristics of the explosion required to produce a remnant with the observed geometry and abundances, telling us much about both the event itself and the explosion mechanism. Three dimensional smooth particle hydrodynamics explosions of the favored progenitors in realistic environments will be simulated. The spatial distribution be compared with estimates of the spatially resolved abundances derived from the optical, x-ray and infrared observations to constrain the conditions under which nuclear burning occurs. The production and distribution of heavy elements by supernovae are integral to the evolution of stellar populations and the interstellar medium on scales from individual proto- stellar/proto-planetary systems to galaxies. The project will have impacts in a number of areas beyond nucleosynthesis in supernovae, including numerical methods and massively parallel simulations, turbulent hydrodynamics, stellar and galaxy evolution, astrobiology, and cosmology. This research will integrate research and education by advancing discovery and understanding, while at the same time engaging undergraduates and training graduate students.