SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS: UNDERSTANDING MIXING

Abstract

It has been known since 1987 that many features of supernovae cannot be described by the spherically-symmetric picture assumed in one-dimensional explosion models. However, the study of the propagation of a supernova shock through a star in more than one spatial dimension is still in its infancy. Understanding this propagation, and the mixing associated with it, is critical for determining accurate supernova yields and correctly interpreting observations based on those yields — from gamma-rays and overall light curves produced in supernova explosions to the abundances of isotopes studied in stars. Here we review the current state-of-the-art in this field. By necessity, this problem is computational and therefore provides an ideal setting to discuss how verification and validation techniques can play an important role in taking full advantage of the results from numerical simulations. We discuss this problem using the full arsenal of verification and validation techniques currently available.