Three-dimensional core-collapse supernova simulations of massive and rotating progenitors

Abstract: We present three-dimensional simulations of the core-collapse of massive rotating and non-rotating progenitors performed with the general relativistic neutrino hydrodynamics code CoCoNuT-FMT and analyse their explosion properties and gravitational-wave signals. The progenitor models include Wolf-Rayet stars with initial helium star masses of $39\,M_{\odot}$ and $20\,M_{\odot}$, and an $18\,M_{\odot}$ red supergiant. The $39\,M_{\odot}$ model is a rapid rotator, whereas the two other progenitors are non-rotating. Both Wolf-Rayet models produce healthy neutrino-driven explosions, whereas the red supergiant model fails to explode. By the end of the simulations, the explosion energies have already reached $1.1\times 10^{51}\,\mathrm{erg}$ and $0.6\times 10^{51}\,\mathrm{erg}$ for the $39\,M_{\odot}$ and $20\,M_{\odot}$ model, respectively. The explosions produce neutron stars of relatively high mass, but with modest kicks. Due to the alignment of the bipolar explosion geometry with the rotation axis, there is a relatively small misalignment of $30^\circ$ between the spin and the kick in the $39\,M_{\odot}$ model. In terms of gravitational-wave signals, the massive and rapidly rotating $39\,M_{\odot}$ progenitor stands out by large gravitational-wave amplitudes that would make it detectable out to almost 2 Mpc by the Einstein Telescope. For this model, we find that rotation significantly changes the dependence of the characteristic gravitational-wave frequency of the f-mode on the proto-neutron star parameters compared to the non-rotating case. The other two progenitors have considerably smaller detection distances, despite significant low-frequency emission in the most sensitive frequency band of current gravitational-wave detectors due to the standing accretion shock instability in the $18\,M_{\odot}$ model.