Shedding New Light on Exploding Stars: TeraScale Simulations of Neutrino Driven Supernovae and Their Nucleosynthesis

PI: Tony Mezzacappa (ORNL)

Co-Is : Polly Baker (IU), John Blondin (NCSU), Steve Bruenn (FAU), Christian Cardall (ORNL), Ed D'Azevedo (ORNL), David Dean (ORNL), Jack Dongarra (UTK), Victor Eijkhout (UTK), George Fuller (UCSD), Wick Haxton (UW), Raph Hix (ORNL), John Hayes (UCSD), Jim Lattimer (SUNYSB), Brad Meyer (Clemson), Eric Myra (SUNYSB), Madappa Prakash (SUNYSB), Dennis Smolarski (SCU), Jirina Stone (Oxford), Doug Swesty (SUNYSB), and Ross Toedte (ORNL)

ISIC Affiliates: Bernholdt (CCA), Falgout (LLNL), Keyes (TOPS), Khamayseh (TSTT), Kumfert (CCA), Mahinthakumar (PERC), Ostrouchov (SDM), Reynolds (LLNL), Samatova (SDM), Shoshani (SDM), Vouk (SDM), Woodward (TOPS), and Worley (PERC)

Other Affiliates: Ahrens (LANL), Atchley (UTK), Beck (UTK), Ma (UCD), McCormick (LANL), Moore (UTK), and Rao (ORNL)

Summary

The advent of TeraScale platforms has made it possible to simulate and, thereby, understand the catastrophic death throes of massive stars, known as core collapse supernovae, which are a dominant source of many elements in the Periodic Table, necessary for life. These events are radiatively, and perhaps magnetically, driven and turbulent, demanding that we simulate accurately three-dimensional, multiangle, multifrequency radiation transport and magnetohydrodynamics, which in turn requires an “ infrastructure” for TeraScale algebraic system solution, data management, data analysis, visualization, networking, and performance optimization.

The TeraScale Supernova Initiative (TSI) is a national, multi-institution, multi-disciplinary collaboration of astrophysicists, nuclear physicists, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists. TSI proper currently involves 34 researchers from 11 institutions nationwide and, together with its collaborators, 89 researchers from 28 institutions worldwide.

The principal goals of the project are (a) to understand the mechanism(s) responsible for the explosions of massive stars (stars more massive than ten of our Suns), also known as core collapse supernovae, (b) to understand all of the phenomena associated with these stellar explosions, such as their contribution to the synthesis of the chemical elements in the Periodic Table, their emission of an unfathomable flux of nearly massless, radiation-like particles known as neutrinos, their emission of gravitational waves (ripples in space predicted by Einstein's theory of gravity), and in some cases their emission of intense bursts of gamma radiation, (c) to provide the theoretical foundations supporting the scientific mission of the Office of Science's existing and proposed premier experimental facilities, such as the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA), and the National Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (NUSEL), whose scientific missions are in part defined by supernova science, (d) to develop the methods to simulate three-dimensional, multiangle, multifrequency, precision radiation transport on TeraScale computers, (e) to develop the theory and methods to predict using TeraScale computers the physical states of the complex nuclei found in stars that participate in supernova explosions, and (f) to serve as a testbed for the development of enabling technologies such as data management, networking, data analysis, and visualization of relevance to most applications.

Explosions of massive stars are arguably the most important link in our chain of origins from the Big Bang to the formation and evolution of life on Earth. They are the dominant source of most elements in the Periodic Table between oxygen and iron, and are believed to be responsible for producing half of all elements heavier than iron. These explosions also serve as cosmic laboratories for physics at extremes that are inaccessible in terrestrial experiment. Observations of supernova neutrinos and gravitational waves, along with photons across the electromagnetic spectrum, in conjunction with realistic three-dimensional models, will make the latter possible.

As their name suggests, core collapse supernovae result from stellar core collapse and the formation of a shock wave that is ultimately responsible for the explosion. They are radiation- (neutrino-) driven, and perhaps also magnetically-driven, turbulent events. The intense radiation of neutrinos from the stellar core is believed to power them, and neutrino production, transport, and interaction in the core defines the dynamics of core collapse. Three-dimensional neutrino transport is the single most important component of a supernova model.

TeraScale supernova simulations require a TeraScale applied mathematics and computer science infrastructure, including (a) solvers for algebraic equations at the heart of the solution of the neutrino transport equations, (b) software engineering to enable the software integration required by supernova simulations, (c) code performance monitoring to make optimal use of TeraScale platforms, (d) management and analysis of TeraBytes of simulation data, (e) development of techniques to visualize and, consequently, understand simulation data, and (f) developments in networking to enable collaborative research by a nationally distributed scientific team.

For further information, contact:
Dr. Anthony Mezzacappa
Phone: 865-574-6113
mezzacappaa@ornl.gov

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