dr Tobias Fischer

Massive star explosions - from the birth of (proto)neutron stars to the synthesis of heavy elements

I will introduce the concept of core collapse supernovae, i.e. the explosions of massive stars, based on the current phenomenological understanding and including current challenges. The latter are mainly due to uncertainties of the (nuclear) physics input in supernova models. It relates to the non-linear coupling of general relativity, (magneto-)fluid dynamics, strong interactions via a (nuclear) equation of state, and neutrinos. In addition, I will discuss the formation and evolution of (proto)neutron stars, which are born hot and lepton rich in the event of a core collapse supernova explosion. They deleptonize towards cold neutron stars via the continuous emission of neutrinos of all flavors over a long timescale of 10-30 seconds. Special emphasis will be given to the accurate description of neutrino decoupling, which requires the inclusion of neutrino transport, in order to predict the nucleosynthesis relevant conditions of the ejected material which may be subject to the formation of heavy elements as one of the largest puzzles in modern nuclear astrophysics.