Core collapse supernovae are the dominant source of elements in the Universe, dominating the origin of the elements between oxygen and iron and responsible for half the elements heavier than iron. They are complex, three-dimensional (3D), multi-physics events. Presently, among other important observables, there are no 3D core collapse supernova models of sufficient realism, limiting our understanding of the explosion mechanism, and our ability to predict the element synthesis in these events.

The CHIMERA simulations are the first 3D simulations performed with spectral neutrino transport, critical to realistic modeling of the neutrino shock reheating believed to be central to the supernova explosion mechanism. This project will perform 3D simulations, with the CHIMERA code, to understand how stars more than ten times the mass of our sun die in catastrophic stellar explosions known as core collapse supernovae, producing many of the elements in the Universe without which life would not exist. 

The researchers will also develop the GenASiS code to perform full spectral neutrino transport including the effects of General Relativity. This project’s modeling efforts will extend to 3D both the macroscopic and microscopic models of stellar core phenomena in core collapse supernovae.