Related papers: Pair-Instability Explosions: observational evidenc…
We show that the optically-thick dusty envelopes surrounding young high-mass stars are subject to the photon bubble instability. The infrared radiation passing through the envelope amplifies magnetosonic disturbances, with growth rates in…
Anticipating the kinematic constraints from the Gaia mission, we perform an extensive numerical study of the evolution of massive binary systems to predict the peculiar velocities that stars obtain when their companion collapses and…
If core collapse leads to the formation of a rapidly rotating bar-unstable proto-neutron star surrounded by fall-back material, then we might expect it to cool and fragment to form a double (proto)-neutron star binary into a super-close…
We demonstrate that $\sim10\,\textrm{s}$ after the core-collapse of a massive star, a thermonuclear explosion of the outer shells is possible for some (tuned) initial density and composition profiles, assuming that the neutrinos failed to…
Very massive stars are thought to be formed in the early Universe because of a lack of cooling process by heavy elements, and might have been responsible for the later evolution of the Universe. We had an interest in vibrational stability…
Core-collapse supernovae are among the most fascinating phenomena in astrophysics and provide a formidable challenge for theoretical investigation. They mark the spectacular end of the lives of massive stars and, in an explosive eruption,…
If very massive stars (M >~ 100 Msun) can form and avoid too strong mass loss during their evolution, they are predicted to explode as pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). One critical test for candidate events is whether their…
Most supernova explosions accompany the death of a massive star. These explosions give birth to neutron stars and black holes and eject solar masses of heavy elements. However, determining the mechanism of explosion has been a half-century…
Radioactive decay of unstable atomic nuclei leads to liberation of nuclear binding energy in the forms of gamma-ray photons and secondary particles (electrons, positrons); their energy then energises surrounding matter. Unstable nuclei are…
Instabilities and strong dynamical interactions between several giant planets have been proposed as a possible explanation for the surprising orbital properties of extrasolar planetary systems. In particular, dynamical instabilities would…
Massive stars undergo a violent death when the supply of nuclear fuel in their cores is exhausted, resulting in a catastrophic "core-collapse" supernova. Such events are usually only detected at least a few days after the star has exploded.…
Pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) are predicted thermonuclear explosions of massive stars with helium core masses exceeding $\sim 65M_\odot$ and synthesize substantial amounts of radioactive $\mathrm{^{56}Ni}$…
Abridged - Stars with ZAMS masses between 140 and $260 M_\odot$ are thought to explode as pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). During their thermonuclear runaway, PISNe can produce up to several tens of solar masses of radioactive nickel,…
Globular clusters contain many stars with surface abundance patterns indicating contributions from hydrogen burning products, as seen in the anti-correlated elemental abundances of e.g. sodium and oxygen, and magnesium and aluminium.…
The recently discovered bright type II supernova OGLE14-073 evolved very slowly. The light curve rose to maximum for 90 days from discovery and then declined at a rate compatible with the radioactive decay of 56Co. In this study, we show…
Young massive stars in the center of crowded star clusters are expected to undergo close dynamical encounters that could lead to energetic, explosive events. However, there has so far never been clear observational evidence of such a…
We suggest that superbursts from some low mass X-ray binaries may be due to breaking and re-formation of diquark pairs, on the surface of realistic strange stars. Diquarks are expected to break up due to the explosion and shock of the…
Core collapse supernovae(SN) are the final stages of evolution in massive stars during which the central region collapses. Recent explosion scenarios assumed that the ejection is due to energy deposition by neutrinos into the envelope but…
Starquakes probably occur in rapidly spinning or ultra high field neutron stars. In this article, we argue that highly compressed gas containing electron-positron pairs could evaporate and erupt from inside the neutron star when a crack…
Binary stars produce an array of dramatic astrophysical phenomena. They allow us to probe stellar structure, nuclear physics, and gravitational wave physics. They also produce the powerful supernovae that allow us to measure the scale of…