Influence of Density Dependence of Symmetry Energy in Hot and Dense Matter for Supernova Simulations

Abstract

Abstract We study the influence of density-dependent symmetry energy at high densities in simulations of core-collapse supernovae, black hole formation, and proto–neutron star cooling by extending the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory used for the Shen equation-of-state (EOS) table. We adopt the extended RMF theory to examine the density dependence of the symmetry energy with a small value of the slope parameter L, while the original properties of the symmetric nuclear matter are unchanged. In order to assess matter effects at high densities, we perform numerical simulations of gravitational collapse of massive stars adopting the EOS table at high densities beyond 1014 g cm−3 with the small L value, which is in accord with the experimental and observational constraints, and compare them with the results obtained by using the Shen EOS. Numerical results for 11.2 and 15 M ⊙ stars exhibit minor effects around the core bounce and in the following evolution for 200 ms. Numerical results for 40 and 50 M ⊙ stars reveal a shorter duration toward the black hole formation with a smaller maximum mass for the small-L case. Numerical simulations of proto–neutron star cooling over 10 s through neutrino emissions demonstrate increasing effects of the symmetry energy at high densities. Neutrino cooling drastically proceeds in a relatively long timescale with high luminosities and average energies with the small symmetry energy. Evolution toward the cold neutron star is affected because of the different behavior of neutron-rich matter, while supernova dynamics around core bounce remains similar in less neutron-rich environments.