Explosions in Space: Core-Collapse Supernovae

Supernovae are grand and extraordinarily energetic explosions that signify the death of a star. There are two different types of supernovae based on their explosion mechanism---Type 1a in white dwarf binary systems and core-collapse from massive stars---but this paper focuses on core-collapse due to its complex physics and extreme conditions. Stars at least eight times the mass of the Sun build layers of elements, such as hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and neon, via nuclear fusion until the star produces an iron core that ends energy output. At that point, the star\u27s temperature, density, and pressure are so great that the star becomes extremely unstable and collapses inwardly. This collapse produces a delayed shockwave, in which the shockwave momentarily stalls within the star before propagating to the star\u27s surface. The explosion releases energy on the order of 10^51 erg. Supernovae leave behind compact objects, like black holes and neutron stars, and their leftover material are known as supernova remnants. This paper provides an overview of the different types of core-collapse supernovae, several proposed explosion mechanisms, and the leftover material from the explosion itself