The state of matter in simulations of core-collapse supernovae -- Reflections and recent developments

Understand

In this review article we discuss selected developments regarding the role of the equation of state (EOS) in simulations of core-collapse supernovae.

• There are no first-principle calculations of the state of matter under supernova conditions since a wide range of conditions is covered, in terms of density, temperature and isospin asymmetry.
• Instead, model EOS are commonly employed in supernova studies.
• These can be divided into regimes with intrinsically different degrees of freedom: heavy nuclei at low temperatures, inhomogeneous nuclear matter where light and heavy nuclei coexist together with unbound nucleons, and the transition to homogeneous matter at high densities and temperatures.