Calibrating with detailed 2D core-collapse supernova simulations, we derive a
simple core-collapse supernova explosion condition based solely upon the
terminal density profiles of state-of-the-art stellar evolution calculations of
the progenitor massive stars. This condition captures the vast majority of the
behavior of the one hundred 2D state-of-the-art models we performed to gauge
its usefulness. The goal is to predict, without resort to detailed simulation,
the explodability of a given massive star. We find that the simple maximum
fractional ram pressure jump discriminant we define works well ~90% of the time
and we speculate on the origin of the few false positives and false negatives
we witness. The maximum ram pressure jump generally occurs at the time of
accretion of the silicon/oxygen interface, but not always. Our results depend
upon the fidelity with which the current implementation of our code Fornax
adheres to Nature and issues concerning the neutrino-matter interaction, the
nuclear equation of state, the possible effects of neutrino oscillations, grid
resolution, the possible role of rotation and magnetic fields, and the accuracy
of the numerical algorithms employed remain to be resolved. Nevertheless, the
explodability condition we obtain is simple to implement, shows promise that it
might be further generalized while still employing data from only the unstable
Chandrasekhar progenitors, and is a more credible and robust simple explosion
predictor than can currently be found in the literature.
Preprint
Comment: 20 pages, 17 figures. Submitted to MNRAS
Subjects: Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics; Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena