arXiv · 0802.1522
Nonlinear Saturation of g-modes in Proto-Neutron Stars: Quieting the Acoustic Engine
Abstract
According to Burrows et al.'s acoustic mechanism for core-collapse supernova explosions, the primary, l=1, g-mode in the core of the proto-neutron star is excited to an energy of ~ 10^{50} ergs and damps by the emission of sound waves. Here we calculate the damping of the primary mode by the parametric instability, i.e., by nonlinear, 3-mode coupling between the low-order primary mode and pairs of high-order g-modes. We show that the primary mode is strongly coupled to highly resonant, neutrino damped pairs with n>10; such short wavelength interactions cannot be resolved in the simulations. We find that the parametric instability saturates the primary mode energy at ~10^{48} ergs, well below the energy needed to drive an explosion. We therefore conclude that acoustic power is unlikely to be energetically significant in core-collapse supernova explosions.
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Nevin N. Weinberg, Eliot Quataert. 2008-06-13. Nonlinear Saturation of g-modes in Proto-Neutron Stars: Quieting the Acoustic Engine. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2008.00486.x
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