Collaborative Research: Petascale Simulations of Core-Collapse Supernovae and Hypermassive Neutron Stars

大质量恒星的核心塌缩超新星爆炸和中子星合并的碰撞是宇宙中最具能量的现象之一。在这些爆炸和碰撞中，生命的关键化学元素(氧、碳、铁等)所有的重元素，包括稀土金属，都被合成并排放到星际介质中。这个PRAC项目的目标是以前所未有的物理细节模拟核心塌缩超新星和中子星碰撞的残留物。研究人员将使用高分辨率的三维模拟，包括广义相对论、流体动力学、中微子的辐射传输、磁场，以及对超新星和中子星碰撞残骸核心中存在的超高密度物质性质的复杂描述。这些模拟将对恒星从塌缩到爆炸的过程有更深的理解，并将阐明磁场在核心塌缩超新星和碰撞残留物演化中的作用。反过来，这将产生对这些现象中的信号(引力波、中微子、电磁波和合成元素)的更好预测。然后，天文观测可以用来测试理论模型，并约束目前核物理和天体物理中的不确定性。

Core-collapse supernova explosions from massive stars and collisions of neutron star mergers are among the most energetic phenomena in the universe. In these explosions and collisions, the key chemical elements of live (oxygen, carbon, iron etc.) and all heavy elements, including the rare earths metals, are synthesized and expelled into the interstellar medium. The goal of this PRAC project is to simulate core-collapse supernovae and the remnants of neutron star collisions at unprecedented physical detail. The investigators will use high-resolution three-dimensional simulations that include general relativity, fluid dynamics, radiation transport of neutrinos, magnetic fields, and a sophisticated description of the properties of the ultra-high density matter present in the cores of supernovae and neutron star collision remnants. The simulations will yield a deeper understanding of the processes occurring as a star turns from collapse to explosion and will elucidate the role of magnetic fields in both core-collapse supernovae and in the evolution of collision remnants. This will, in turn, yield better predictions for signals (in gravitational waves, neutrinos, and electromagnetic waves, and synthesized elements) from these phenomena. Astronomical observations can then be used to test theoretical models and constrain present uncertainties in nuclear physics and astrophysics.