Towards the Core-Collapse Supernova Explosion Mechanism

Abstract

Core-collapse supernovae are amazing displays of astrohysical fireworks - and the optical emission is only a tiny part of the story. These events involve virtually all branches of physics and spawn phenomena observale by every kind of astronomical observation. This richness of theory and observation presents a formidable challenge to their understanding via computer simulations, but we are entering a new era of realism and maturity in modeling the key processes by collapse and explosion.