Toward three-dimensional simulations of stellar core collapse with magnetic fields

Abstract

In spherical symmetry, very reliable models of stellar core collapse, bounce, and the postbounce phase can be constructed based on general relativistic Boltzmann neutrino transport. However, even if the time-integrated neutrino luminosity in the region between the surface of the protoneutron star and the stalled accretion shock is one or two orders of magnitude larger than the energy of a supernova explosion, it is generally accepted that the net energy transfer is not efficient enough to drive an explosion, unless the fluid instabilities in this regime are taken into account. Complementary to other groups, who are elaborating an extension of the accurate neutrino physics to axisymmetric simulations, we construct efficient parameterizations of the neutrino physics that enable three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics simulations that do not constrain the fluid instabilities by artificially imposed symmetries. We evaluate our approximations with respect to spherically symmetric Boltzmann neutrino transport, present preliminary MHD simulations with a resolution of 600 zones cubed, and illustrate the questions that can be addressed by this approach.