Cassiopeia A: Supernova explosion and expansion simulations under strong asymmetry conditions

We propose a model for the explosion of a supernova and the expansion of its ejecta in the presence of a strong initial asymmetry (at the explosion time) in the central part of the star (core) and a possible smallscale asymmetry in the peripheral regions. The Chandra and NuSTAR observations of ejecta in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant are analyzed. Based on our 1D and 2D numerical simulations performed using the DIANA and NUTCY codes, we propose a model for the explosion and expansion of ejecta that explains the observed experimental data where the materials initially located in the central region of the star end up on the periphery of the cloud of ejecta.     

Ejection of heavy elements from the stellar core to the periphery of the cloud of ejecta during a supernova explosion: A possible model of the processes

The possibility of simulating the processes during supernova explosions in laboratory conditions using powerful lasers (laboratory astrophysics) is investigated. The Chandra observations of ejecta in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant are analyzed. Based on the DIANA and NUTCY numerical codes, we have performed 1D and 2D hydrodynamic simulations of the ejecta expansion dynamics for a supernova with a mass of ～5–15 solar masses within several hundred seconds after its explosion, including an initial asymmetry. We propose a model for the explosion and expansion of ejecta that illustrates strong inhomogeneities in the distribution of material to the extent that the Fe, Si, and S material from the stellar center turns out to be ejected to the periphery, the “star turns inside out,” in agreement with observations. Based on hydrodynamic similarity criteria, we consider possible supernova-simulating laser targets that will allow one to reproduce the physical processes that take place during the explosion of an astrophysical object, such as the shock propagation through the material, the growth of hydrodynamic instabilities at the boundaries of envelopes with different densities, etc.     

Pulsar recoil by large-scale anisotropies in supernova explosions

Assuming that the neutrino luminosity from the neutron star core is sufficiently high to drive supernova explosions by the neutrino-heating mechanism, we show that low-mode (l=1,2) convection can develop from random seed perturbations behind the shock. A slow onset of the explosion is crucial, requiring the core luminosity to vary slowly with time, in contrast to the burstlike exponential decay assumed in previous work. Gravitational and hydrodynamic forces by the globally asymmetric supernova ejecta were found to accelerate the remnant neutron star on a time scale of more than a second to velocities above 500 km s(-1), in agreement with observed pulsar proper motions.     

Core collapse supernovae in the QCD phase diagram

We compare two classes of hybrid equations of state with a hadron-to-quark matter phase transition in their application to core collapse supernova simulations. The first one uses the quark bag model and describes the transition to three-flavor quark matter at low critical densities. The second one employs a Polyakov-loop extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model with parameters describing a phase transition to two-flavor quark matter at higher critical densities. These models possess a distinctly different temperature dependence of their transition densities which turns out to be crucial for the possible appearance of quark matter in supernova cores. During the early post-bounce accretion phase quark matter is found only if the phase transition takes place at sufficiently low densities as in the study based on the bag model. The increase critical density with increasing temperature, as obtained for our PNJL parametrization, prevents the formation of quark matter. The further evolution of the core collapse supernova as obtained applying the quark bag model leads to a structural reconfiguration of the central protoneutron star where, in addition to a massive pure quark matter core, a strong hydrodynamic shock wave forms and a second neutrino burst is released during the shock propagation across the neutrinospheres. We discuss the severe constraints in the freedom of choice of quark matter models and their parametrization due to the recently observed 2M _?? pulsar and their implications for further studies of core collapse supernovae in the QCD phase diagram.     

Neutrino masses in astrophysics and cosmology

Cosmology yields the most restrictive limits on neutrino masses and conversely, massive neutrinos would contribute to the cosmic dark-matter density and would play an important role for the formation of structure in the universe. Neutrino oscillations may well solve the solar neutrino problem and can have a significant impact on supernova physics. The neutrino signal from a future galactic supernova could provide evidence for cosmologically interesting neutrino masses or set interesting limits.     

Modeling Type Ia supernova explosions

Despite their astrophysical significance-as a major contributor to cosmic nucleosynthesis and as distance indicators in observational cosmology-Type Ia supernovae lack theoretical explanation. Not only is the explosion mechanism complex due to the interaction of (potentially turbulent) hydrodynamics and nuclear reactions, but even the initial conditions for the explosion are unknown. Various progenitor scenarios have been proposed. After summarizing some general aspects of Type Ia supernova modeling, recent simulations of our group are discussed. With a sequence of modeling starting (in some cases) from the progenitor evolution and following the explosion hydrodynamics and nucleosynthesis we connect to the formation of the observables through radiation transport in the ejecta cloud. This allows us to analyze several models and to compare their outcomes with observations. While pure deflagrations of Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs and violent mergers of two white dwarfs lead to peculiar events (that may, however, find their correspondence in the observed sample of SNe Ia), only delayed detonations in Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs or sub-Chandrasekhar-mass explosions remain promising candidates for explaining normal Type Ia supernovae.     

The Sun is a plasma diffuser that sorts atoms by mass

The Sun is a plasma diffuser that selectively moves light elements like H and He and the lighter isotopes of each element to its surface. The Sun formed on the collapsed core of a supernova (SN) and is composed mostly of elements made near the SN core (Fe, O, Ni, Si, and S), like the rocky planets and ordinary meteorites. Neutron emission from the central neutron star triggers a series of reactions that generate solar luminosity, solar neutrinos, solar mass fractionation, and an outpouring of hydrogen in the solar wind. Mass fractionation seems to have operated in the parent star and likely occurs in other stars as well. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Spin flip of neutrinos with magnetic moment in core-collapse supernova

Neutrinos with magnetic moment experience chirality flips while scattering off charged particles. It is known that if neutrino is a Dirac fermion, then such chirality flips lead to the production of sterile right-handed neutrinos inside the core of a star during the stellar collapse, which may facilitate the supernova explosion and modify the supernova neutrino signal. In the present paper we reexamine the production of right-handed neutrinos during the collapse using a dynamical model of the collapse. We refine the estimates of the values of the Dirac magnetic moment which are necessary to substantially alter the supernova dynamics and neutrno signal. It is argued in particular that Super-Kamiokande will be sensitive at least to μ _{ν Dirac} = 10⁻¹³μ_B in case of a galactic supernova explosion. Also we briefly discuss the case of Majorana neutrino magnetic moment. It is pointed out that in the inner supernova core spin flips may quickly equilibrate electron neutrinos with nonelectron antineutrinos if μ _{ν Majorana} ≳ 10⁻¹²μ_B. This may lead to various consequences for supernova physics.     

Gauss law constraints on Debye-Hückel screening

The half-lives are calculated for the β ⁻ decay process for nuclei in the mass range ∼65–75 relevant for the core of a massive star at the late burning stage of stellar evolution and the collapse that leads to supernova explosion. These half-lives and rates are calculated by expressing the β ⁻ Gamow-Teller decay strengths in terms of smoothed bivariate strength densities. These strength densities are constructed in the framework of spectral averaging theory for two-body nuclear Hamiltonian in a large nuclear shell model space. The method has a natural extension to electron captures as well as weak interaction rates for r and rp-processes.      

大质量恒星的形成:理论与观测

文章简要叙述了有关大质量恒星形成的理论以及相关观测证据。目前大质量恒星形成的理论主要有两种，即吸积说和并合说．吸积说认为，大质量星可能与小质量星形成于相似的过程；并合说主张大质量星可能是由小质量年轻星碰撞合并而成．解决这两种理论争论的关键在于在大质量星附近能否观测到吸积盘的存在，最新的观测表明大质量星更有可能是通过吸积增加自身的质量，但最终解决这一问题可能还需要更多的观测证据。文章还提出了一些本领域尚未解决的问题，为感兴趣的研究者提供参考。     

相对论平均场研究超子星

随着引力波探测以及对中子星质量与半径的高精度测量,中子星作为超新星爆发的剩余产物正吸引着相关领域的高度关注。在中子星的内核部分,诸如超子之类的奇异自由度有可能会出现从而形成超子星。本工作在相对论平均场模型框架下研究由核子与轻子构成的中子星以及包含超子的超子星。采用目前常用的非线性相对论平均场以及密度依赖的相对论平均场参数研究了超子对超子星质量、半径、潮汐形变等性质的影响。最后讨论了介子与超子的耦合常数对超子星性质的影响,发现当矢量介子与超子耦合系数较强时,利用现有的相对论平均场模型参数可以获得大质量的超子星。     

Les premières étoiles

The oldest stars of the Galaxy are quite different from common stars, like our Sun. Understanding why it is so, requires to open the question in a cosmological perspective. After the Big Bang, and for at least 300 000 years, the Universe was nearly uniform, and had a very simple chemical composition formed during the hot phase of the Big Bang: only hydrogen, helium and traces of other light elements, deuterium, ³ He, and ⁷ Li. This composition is known as “primordial”. At a later time, about one or two billion years after the Big Bang, condensations developped at all scales, the smallest ones being stars. The most massive stars, reaching very high temperatures at their center, transformed their initial composition by thermonuclear reactions, producing all common elements observed in the solar system, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. These elements were dispersed into the interstellar medium by mass-ejection at the final stage of evolution of these massive stars, and recycled by subsequent generations of stars. The first stars must have been formed with the primordial composition, whereas later generations had an increasing proportion of elements produced by stellar nucleosynthesis. Intensive searches of stars with no, or very little elements produced by stellar nucleosynthesis have been performed during the last 20 years. Actually more than 100 stars were discovered with a very low proportion of such elements, one thousandth of the proportion in the Sun (in which they amount to about 1.7% by mass), or less. But no star was found with less that 1/10,000 of the solar proportion. So no “primordial” star has been observed yet. The reason why is still an open question.     

Strangeness in stellar matter

A protoneutron star is formed immediately after the gravitational collapse of the core of a massive star. At birth, the hot and high density matter in such a star contains a large number of neutrinos trapped during collapse. Trapped neutrinos generally inhibit the presence of exotic matter — hyperons, a kaon condensate, or quarks. However, as the neutrinos diffuse out in about 10–15 s, the threshold for the appearance of strangeness is reduced; hence, the composition and the structure of the star can change significantly. The effect of exotic, negatively-charged, strangeness-bearing components is always to soften the equation of state, and the possibility exists that the star collapses to a black hole at this time. This could explain why no neutron star has yet been seen in the remnant of supernova SN1987A, even though one certainly existed when neutrinos were detected on Feb. 23, 1987. With new generation neutrino detectors it is feasible to test different theoretical scenarios observationally.     

The interstellar methanol masers and their environments

To promote the understanding of massive star formation processes, we have studied the 6.6 GHz methanol (CH3OH) masers and their environments-- the dense cores and the outer regions of the molecular cloud. The physics of the CH3OH maser or the thermal emission formation region is studied by fitting the observational data of the 6.6 GHz 51-60 A+ and the 107 GHz 31-40 A+ CH3OH maser emission, using the radiative transfer calculations. The type II characteristics of the 6.6 GHz CH3OH maser are confirmed by the calculation results. A greater intensity of the radiation field leads to an increase in the peak intensity of the maser; however, high densities tend to turn off the maser. The calculation results show that to be a maser the 6.6 GHz CH3OH emission needs a radiation field of 150-300 K and a density not higher than 107cm-3, while the 107 GHz emission requires a radiation field of 210-300 K and a density not higher than 3×106 cm-3. The 6.6 GHz line is maser towards all six studied sources, while the 107 GHz line is maser towards Cep A only. Moreover, the former's intensity is much stronger than the latter. The radiative transfer calculations also indicate that the 6.6 GHz maser emission is so strong that the requirements of its formation (e.g. The radiation field, the density and the kinetic parameters) can only be satisfied at a certain stage of the processes of the massive star formation. Therefore it is often used as one of the most prominent tracers for the massive star formation regions. The calculation results of the simultaneous observations of (1,1) through (4,4) inversion lines of the ammonia (NH3) indicate that both the temperature and the density in the 6.6 GHz CH3OH maser formation regions are higher than that of the NH3 line formation regions. Furthermore, the common fact of |Vlsr(CO)| ＞ |Vlsr(NH3)| ＞ |Vlsr(CH3OH 6.6GHz maser)| in all six sources implies the ongoing developing trends of those gas flows driven by the masers.     

Neutrino-nucleus reaction in supernovae

Neutrino reactions play an important role at various stages of core-collapse supernova. During infall, neutrinos are produced by electron capture mainly on nuclei and contribute significantly to the cooling of the collapsing core. After core bounce the nascent neutron star cools by neutrino emission. It is a major goal to observe such neutrinos from a future supernova by earthbound detectors and to establish their spectra. Recently it has been shown that the spectrum of electron neutrinos from the early neutrino burst is significantly altered if inelastic neutrino-nucleus scattering is considered in supernova simulations. Finally spallation reactions induced by neutrinos when passing through the outer burning shells can produce certain nuclides in what is called neutrino nucleosynthesis.     

2012年,参宿四会爆炸吗?

恒星是宇宙的基本组成单元,中小质量的恒星(如太阳)占绝大部分.中小质量的恒星演化到最后,外壳被损失掉,成为漂亮的行星状星云,而恒星的核则成为白矮星.大质量恒星演化到最后会发生超新星爆炸,产生巨大的能量,留下一个中子星或黑洞.参宿四是一颗大质量恒星,种种迹象表明,它将发生超新星爆炸,但在2012年爆炸的可能性微乎其微,天上不会出现两个"太阳",也不会对地球上人们的生活产生实质性的影响.     

Impacts of fast meteoroids and a plasma–dust cloud over the lunar surface

The possibility of the formation of a plasma–dust cloud in the exosphere of the Moon owing to impacts of meteoroids on the lunar surface is discussed. Attention is focused on dust particles at large altitudes of ~10–100 km at which measurements were performed within the NASA LADEE mission. It has been shown that a melted material ejected from the lunar surface owing to the impacts of meteoroids plays an important role in the formation of the plasma–dust cloud. Drops of the melted material acquire velocities in the range between the first and second cosmic velocities for the Moon and can undergo finite motion around it. Rising over the lunar surface, liquid drops are solidified and acquire electric charges, in particular, owing to their interaction with electrons and ions of the solar wind, as well as with solar radiation. It has been shown that the number density of dust particles in the plasma–dust cloud present in the exosphere of the Moon is ?10^?8 cm^?3, which is in agreement with the LADEE measurements.     

Anomalouse + e − pairs in heavy ion collisions and solar neutrinos

The production of anomalouse ⁺ e ^–pairs in heavy ion collisions and the solar neutrino puzzle are two seemingly unrelated problems of the standard model of electroweak interactions. According to the observations made at Homestake and Kamiokande, the flux of solar neutrinos is too small. Furthermore, the observations made at Homestake (neutrino-nucleon scattering) show anticorrelation of the solar neutrino flux with sunspots, unlike the observations made in Kamiokande (neutrino-electron scattering). According to the previously proposed model inspired by T(opological) G(eometro) D(ynamics), anomalouse ⁺ e ^–pairs result from the decay of the leptopion, which can be regarded as a bound state of color excited electrons. In this paper we show that the generalization of PCAC ideas leads to a prediction for the lifetime and production cross section of the leptopion in agreement with data. The model is also consistent with constraints coming from Babbha scattering and supernova physics. Leptopion exchange implies a new weak interaction between leptons at low cm energies (of the order of a few MeVs), which explains the Kamiokande-Homestake puzzle. Part of the solar neutrinos are transformed in the convective zone of the Sun to right-handed neutrinos inert with respect to ordinary electroweak interactions, but interacting with electrons via leptopion exchange so that they are observed in Kamiokande. A correct average value for the neutrino flux at Kamiokande is predicted using as input the Homestake flux, and the anticorrelation with sunspots in Kamiokande is predicted to be considerably weaker than in Homestake.     

Alfvén waves in the electron-nuclear plasma in the peripheral crust of a neutron star as a residual effect of a supernova explosion

The conservation of magnetic flux in the evolution and collapse of massive stars suggests that Alfvén magnetoplasma oscillations can be excited in an isolated neutron star by residual (after the supernova explosion) disturbances of the magnetized electron-nuclear plasma localized in the peripheral crust of the star. The frequencies of the poloidal Alfvén oscillations are calculated in the uniform magnetic field approximation, and it is found that the periods of the oscillations fall into the time interval of the periodicity of radio pulsar radiation. This coincidence of the periods could mean that, at least for some pulsars observed in the radio range, the electromagnetic activity is due to converstion of the energy of magnetoplasma oscillations into electromagnetic radiation. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 9, 593–598 (10 November 1996)     

Dirac-neutrino magnetic moment and the dynamics of a supernova explosion

The double conversion of neutrino chirality ν_L → ν_R → ν_L has been analyzed for supernova conditions, where the first stage is due to the interaction of the neutrino magnetic moment with plasma electrons and protons in the supernova core, and the second stage, due to the resonance spin flip of the neutrino in the magnetic field of the supernova envelope. It is shown that, in the presence of the neutrino magnetic moment in the range 10^?13 μ_B < μ_ν < 10^?12 μ_B and a magnetic field of ～10¹³ G between the neutrinosphere and the shock-stagnation region, an additional energy of about 10⁵¹ erg, which is sufficient for a supernova explosion, can be injected into this region during a typical shock-stagnation time.