New open-source approaches to the modeling of stellar collapse and the formation of black holes

Abstract

We present new approaches to the simulation of stellar collapse, the formation of black holes, and explosive core-collapse supernova nucleosynthesis that build upon open-source codes and microphysics. We discuss the new spherically-symmetric general-relativistic (GR) collapse code GR1D that is endowed with an approximate 1.5D treatment of rotation, comes with multiple nuclear equations of state, and handles neutrinos with a multi-species leakage scheme. Results from a first set of spinning black hole formation simulations are presented. We go on to discuss the derivative code GR1D + N which is tuned for calculations of explosive nucleosynthesis and includes a NSE/non-NSE equation of state treatment, and a nuclear reaction network. We present sample results showing GR1D+N's performance in reproducing previous results with thermal-bomb-driven explosions. Finally, we introduce the 3 + 1 GR Zelmani core collapse simulation package and present first results obtained in its application to the 3D modeling of failing core-collapse supernovae.

Additional details