14:00 Αστεροσκοπείο
Abstract
When a massive star reaches the end of its life, the core of the star
collapses to a neutron star or black hole while the outer stellar layers
are expelled in a supernova explosion. These cosmic catastrophies are
not only among the most spectacular celestial phenomena, they are also
responsible for the production and dissemination of a major part of the
heavy elements in the universe. A better understanding of the role of
supernovae in astrophysics and as laboratories for nuclear and particle
physics at extreme conditions requires the solution of one of the most
long-standing problems of stellar physics: What is the mechanism that
initiates and powers the explosion of stars? Increasingly sophisticated
numerical models provide growing support that the energy deposition by
neutrinos radiated from the hot, newly formed neutron star and aided by
violent hydrodynamic mass motions is the driving agency of the
explosion. In this talk I will review recent successes of theoretical
modeling and new questions arising as simulations currently push forward
to meet the grand computational challenges of the third spatial
dimension. I will also discuss possibilities to confront the theoretical
picture with observational tests and constraints.