Three-dimensional GRMHD Simulations of Core-Collapse Supernovae
Sherwood Richers, California Institute of Technology
We present results of new three-dimensional (3-D) general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of rapidly rotating strongly magnetized core collapse. These simulations are the first of their kind and include a microphysical finite-temperature equation of state and a leakage scheme that captures the overall energetics and lepton number exchange due to post-bounce neutrino emission. Our results show that the 3-D dynamics of magnetorotational core-collapse supernovae are fundamentally different from what was anticipated on the basis of previous simulations in axisymmetry (2-D). A strong bipolar jet that develops in a simulation constrained to 2-D is crippled by a spiral instability and fizzles in full 3-D. While multiple (magneto-)hydrodynamic instabilities may be present, our analysis suggests that the jet is disrupted by an m=1 kink instability of the ultra-strong toroidal field near the rotation axis. Instead of an axially symmetric jet, a completely new, previously unreported flow structure develops. Highly magnetized spiral plasma funnels expelled from the core push out the shock in polar regions, creating wide secularly expanding lobes. We observe no runaway explosion by the end of the full 3-D simulation 185 ms after bounce. At this time, the lobes have reached maximum radii of about 900 km.
Abstract Author(s): Sherwood Richers, Philipp Mösta, Christian Ott, Roland Haas, Anthony Piro, Kristen Boydstun, Ernazer Abdikamalov, Christian Reisswig, Erik Schnetter