PROST: Progenitor Structure in 3D
PROST (PRogenitor STructure in 3D) constructs realistic 3D massive-star progenitor models and connects them to 3D core-collapse supernova explosion simulations. The pre-supernova progenitors are built with the PPMstar code, now equipped with a degenerate equation of state that allows simulations to run right up to core collapse, and handed off to the FLASH explosion code. The project is a collaboration between the UVic Computational Stellar Astrophysics group and the Arcones group at TU Darmstadt. Its goal is a progenitor-to-explosion pipeline in which the 3D structure of the dying star, in particular oxygen–carbon shell mergers and convective-boundary mixing, feeds nucleosynthetic yield predictions (titanium-44, potassium-40, p-process and light odd-Z elements) that can be tested against observations such as XRISM measurements of ⁴⁴Ti in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.
Who is who
- Falk Herwig. University of Victoria, PI; 3D PPMstar pre-supernova progenitor simulations.
- Joshua Issa. UVic graduate student; nucleosynthesis and reduced nuclear networks; visiting TU Darmstadt in 2026.
- Praneet Pathak. UVic graduate student; PPMstar degenerate equation of state and 3D progenitor construction.
- Almudena Arcones. TU Darmstadt, PI; core-collapse supernova explosions with the FLASH code.
- Gaétan Murguia-Berthier. TU Darmstadt graduate student; FLASH explosions and PPMstar-to-FLASH grid transformation.
- Luca Boccioli. Explodability and the convective engine that drives the explosion; shell-merger nucleosynthesis.
Goals
- Develop the multi-dimensional progenitor-to-explosion hand-off into FLASH, including the 3D-to-2D mapping needed for neutrino-transport explosions.
- Implement a compact (~20-species) nuclear network for oxygen–carbon shell-merger nucleosynthesis, both pre-explosive and explosive.
- Compare 1D and 3D progenitors exploded in FLASH to quantify how 3D structure shapes the explosion and its yields.