Muon Creation in Supernova Matter Facilitates Neutrino-driven Explosions

Understand

Muons can be created in nascent neutron stars (NSs) due to the high electron chemical potentials and the high temperatures.

• Because of their relatively lower abundance compared to electrons, their role has so far been ignored in numerical simulations of stellar core collapse and NS formation.
• However, the appearance of muons softens the NS equation of state, triggers faster NS contraction and thus leads to higher luminosities and mean energies of the emitted neutrinos.
• This strengthens the postshock heating by neutrinos and can facilitate explosions by the neutrino-driven mechanism.