An official website of the United States government
Abstract Interactions between convective shells in evolved massive stars have been linked to supernova impostors, to the production of the odd-Z elements Cl, K, and Sc, and they might also help generate the large-scale asphericities that are known to facilitate shock revival in supernova explosion models. We investigate the process of ingestion of C-shell material into a convective O-burning shell, including the hydrodynamic feedback from the nuclear burning of the ingested material. Our 3D hydrodynamic simulations span almost 3 dex in the total luminosity $$L_\rm {tot}$$. All but one of the simulations reach a quasi-stationary state with the entrainment rate and convective velocity proportional to $$L_\rm {tot}$$ and $$L_\rm {tot}^{1/3}$$, respectively. Carbon burning provides 14 – $$33\%$$ of the total luminosity, depending on the set of reactions considered. Equivalent simulations done on 7683 and 11523 grids are in excellent quantitative agreement. The flow is dominated by a few large-scale convective cells. An instability leading to large-scale oscillations with Mach numbers in excess of 0.2 develops in an experimental run with the energy yield from C burning increased by a factor of 10. This run represents most closely the conditions expected in a violent O-C shell merger, which is a potential production site for odd-Z elements such as K and Sc and which may seed asymmetries in the supernova progenitor. 1D simulations may underestimate the energy generation from the burning of ingested material by as much as a factor two owing to their missing the effect of clumpiness of entrained material on the nuclear reaction rate.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on June 1, 2026
The occurrence and impact of carbon-oxygen shell mergers in massive stars
Context.In their final stages before undergoing a core-collapse supernova, massive stars may experience mergers between internal shells where carbon (C) and oxygen (O) are consumed as fuels for nuclear burning. This interaction, known as a C-O shell merger, can dramatically alter the internal structure of the star, leading to peculiar nucleosynthesis and potentially influencing the supernova explosion and the propagation of the subsequent supernova shock. Aims.Our understanding of the frequency and consequences of C-O shell mergers remains limited. This study aims to identify, for the first time, early diagnostics in the stellar structure that lead to C-O shell mergers in more advanced stages. We also assess their role in shaping the chemical abundances in the most metal poor stars of the Galaxy. Methods.We analyzed a set of 209 stellar evolution models available in the literature, with different initial progenitor masses and metallicities. We then compared the nucleosynthetic yields from a subset of these models with the abundances of odd-Zelements in metal-poor stars. Results.We find that the occurrence of C-O shell mergers in stellar models can be predicted with a good approximation based on the outcomes of the central He burning phase, specifically, from the CO core mass (MCO) and the12C central mass fraction (XC12): 90% of models with a C-O merger have XC12<0.277 and MCO<4.90 M⊙, with average values of MCO= 4.02 M⊙and XC12= 0.176. The quantities XC12and MCOare indirectly affected from several stellar properties, including the initial stellar mass and metallicity. Additionally, we confirm that the Sc-rich and K-rich yields from models with C-O mergers would solve the long-standing underproduction of these elements in massive stars. Conclusions.Our results emphasize the crucial role of C-O shell mergers in enriching the interstellar medium, particularly in the production of odd-Zelements. This highlights the necessity of further investigations to refine their influence on presupernova stellar properties and their broader impact on Galactic chemical evolution.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1927130
- PAR ID:
- 10649185
- Publisher / Repository:
- EDP Sciences
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Volume:
- 698
- ISSN:
- 0004-6361
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- A216
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Although stable neutron stars (NSs) can in principle exist down to massesMns≈ 0.1M⊙, standard models of stellar core-collapse predict a robust lower limitMns≳ 1.2M⊙, roughly commensurate with the Chandrasekhar massMChof the progenitor’s iron core (electron fractionYe≈ 0.5). However, this limit may be circumvented in sufficiently dense neutron-rich environments (Ye< 0.5) for which is reduced to ≲1M⊙. Such physical conditions could arise in the black hole accretion disks formed from the collapse of rapidly rotating stars (“collapsars”), as a result of gravitational instabilities and cooling-induced fragmentation, similar to models for planet formation in protostellar disks. We confirm that the conditions to form subsolar-mass NS (ssNS) may be marginally satisfied in the outer regions of massive neutrino-cooled collapsar disks. If the disk fragments into multiple ssNSs, their subsequent coalescence offers a channel for precipitating subsolar mass LIGO/Virgo gravitational-wave mergers that does not implicate primordial black holes. The model makes several additional predictions: (1) ∼Hz frequency Doppler modulation of the ssNS-merger gravitational-wave signals due to the binary’s orbital motion in the disk; (2) at least one additional gravitational-wave event (coincident within ≲hours), from the coalescence of the ssNS-merger remnant(s) with the central black hole; (3) an associated gamma-ray burst and supernova counterpart, the latter boosted in energy and enriched withr-process elements from the NS merger(s) embedded within the exploding stellar envelope (“kilonovae inside a supernova”).more » « less
-
Context.Theγprocess in core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) can produce a number of neutron-deficient stable isotopes heavier than iron (pnuclei). However, current model predictions do not fully reproduce solar abundances, especially for92, 94Mo and96, 98Ru. Aims.We investigate the impact of different explosion energies and parametrizations on the nucleosynthesis ofpnuclei, by studying stellar models with different initial masses and different CCSN explosions. Methods.We compared thep-nucleus yields obtained using a semi-analytical method to simulate the supernova to those obtained using hydrodynamic models. We explored the effect of varying the explosion parameters on thep-nucleus production in two sets of CCSN models with initial masses of 15, 20, and 25M⊙at solar metallicity. We calculated a new set of 24 CCSN models (eight for each stellar progenitor mass) and compared our results with another recently published set of 80 CCSN models that includes a wide range of explosion parameters: explosion energy or initial shock velocity, energy injection time, and mass location of the injection. Results.We find that the totalp-nucleus yields are only marginally affected by the CCSN explosion prescriptions if theγ-process production is already efficient in the stellar progenitors due to a C−O shell merger. In most CCSN explosions from progenitors without a C−O shell merger, theγ-process yields increase with the explosion energy by up to an order of magnitude, depending on the progenitor structure and the CCSN prescriptions. The general trend of thep-nucleus production with the explosion energy is more complicated if we look at the production of singlepnuclei. The lightp-nuclei tend to be the most enhanced with increasing explosion energy. In particular, for the CCSN models where theα-rich freeze-out component is ejected, the yields of the lightestpnuclei (including92, 94Mo and96Ru) increase by up to three orders of magnitude. Conclusions.We provide the first extensive study using different sets of massive stars of the impact of varying CCSN explosion prescriptions on the production ofpnuclei. Unlike previous expectations and recent results in the literature, we find that the average production ofpnuclei tends to increase with the explosion energy. We also confirm that the pre-explosion production ofpnuclei in C−O shell mergers is a robust result, independent of the subsequent explosive nucleosynthesis. More generally, a realistic range of variations in the evolution of stellar progenitors and in the CCSN explosions might boost the CCSN contribution to the galactic chemical evolution ofpnuclei.more » « less
-
Context.Stars with initial mass above roughly 8M⊙will evolve to form a core made of iron group elements, at which point no further exothermic nuclear reactions between charged nuclei may prevent the core collapse. Electron capture, neutrino losses, and the photo-disintegration of heavy nuclei trigger the collapse of these stars. Models at the brink of core collapse are produced using stellar evolution codes, and these pre-collapse models may be used in the study of the subsequent dynamical evolution (including their explosion as supernovae and the formation of compact remnants such as neutron stars or black holes). Aims.We upgraded the physical ingredients employed by the GENeva stellar Evolution Code, GENEC, so that it covers the regime of high-temperatures and high-densities required to produce the progenitors of core-collapse. Our ultimate goal is producing pre-supernova models with GENEC, not only right before collapse, but also during the late phases (silicon and oxygen burning). Methods.We have improved GENEC in three directions: equation of state, the nuclear reaction network, and the radiative and conductive opacities adapted for the computation of the advanced phases of evolution. We produce a small grid of pre-supernova models of stars with zero age main sequence masses of 15 M⊙, 20 M⊙, and 25 M⊙at solar and less than half solar metallicities. The results are compared with analogous models produced with the MESA code. Results.The global properties of our new models, particularly of their inner cores, are comparable to models computed with MESA and pre-existing progenitors in the literature. Between codes the exact shell structure varies, and impacts explosion predictions. Conclusions.Using GENEC with state-of-the-art physics, we have produced massive stellar progenitors prior to collapse. These progenitors are suitable for follow-up studies, including the dynamical collapse and supernova phases. Larger grids of supernova progenitors are now feasible, with the potential for further dynamical evolution.more » « less
-
ABSTRACT The R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars are extremely hydrogen-deficient carbon stars that produce large amounts of dust, causing sudden deep declines in brightness. They are believed to be formed primarily through white dwarf mergers. In this paper, we use mesa to investigate how post-merger objects with a range of initial He-burning shell temperatures from 2.1 to 5.4 × 108 K with solar and subsolar metallicities evolve into RCB stars. The most successful model of these has subsolar metallicity and an initial temperature near 3 × 108 K. We find a strong dependence on initial He-burning shell temperature for surface abundances of elements involved in the CNO cycle, as well as differences in effective temperature and radius of RCBs. Elements involved in nucleosynthesis present around 1 dex diminished surface abundances in the 10 per cent solar metallicity models, with the exception of carbon and lithium that are discussed in detail. Models with subsolar metallicities also exhibit longer lifetimes than their solar counterparts. Additionally, we find that convective mixing of the burned material occurs only in the first few years of post-merger evolution, after which the surface abundances are constant during and after the RCB phase, providing evidence for why these stars show a strong enhancement of partial He-burning products.more » « less
