YCAA Seminar: Jeremiah Murphy, Florida State University, “Solutions for Core-Collapse Supernova Explosions”

Core-collapse supernovae are some of the most energetic events in the Universe; they herald the birth of neutron stars and black holes, are a major site for nucleosynthesis, influence galactic hydrodynamics, trigger further star formation, and are prodigious emitters of neutrinos and gravitational waves. Though these explosions play an important and multifaceted role in many cosmic phenomena, the details of the explosion mechanism have remained elusive for many decades. The fundamental challenge of core-collapse theory is to understand what makes the difference between a fizzled result and successful explosions. In this talk, I will discuss the theoretical conditions for successful explosions.