Expectation for the MeV Gamma-Ray Emission from Pair-Instability Supernovae

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Sawada, Ryo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sawada, Ryo
author_facet Sawada, Ryo
contents Pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) are predicted thermonuclear explosions of massive stars with helium core masses exceeding $\sim 65M_\odot$ and synthesize substantial amounts of radioactive $\mathrm{^{56}Ni}$ ($M(\mathrm{^{56}Ni})\sim60M_\odot$ in extreme cases). To investigate their observational signatures, we developed a multi-D Monte Carlo radiation transport code, assuming spherical symmetry in the background medium and the photon sources distribution, and performed simulations of gamma-ray and hard X-ray emissions from the decay chain $\mathrm{^{56}Ni}\to\mathrm{^{56}Co}\to\mathrm{^{56}Fe}$. We find that key gamma-ray lines (847 and 1238 keV) from $\mathrm{^{56}Co}$ decay in the $130M_\odot$ helium core model can be detected up to 300-400 Mpc by next-generation MeV gamma-ray telescopes. In contrast, the signals from the $100M_\odot$ model remain below the detection limits. Our results provide the template for gamma-ray follow-up observations of PISNe. Considering theoretical predictions and observational constraints, we estimate PISN event rates within 300 Mpc to be approximately 0.01-0.1 events per year, highlighting their rarity but also emphasizing their feasibility as targets for future gamma-ray observations over the decade.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_21744
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Expectation for the MeV Gamma-Ray Emission from Pair-Instability Supernovae
Sawada, Ryo
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) are predicted thermonuclear explosions of massive stars with helium core masses exceeding $\sim 65M_\odot$ and synthesize substantial amounts of radioactive $\mathrm{^{56}Ni}$ ($M(\mathrm{^{56}Ni})\sim60M_\odot$ in extreme cases). To investigate their observational signatures, we developed a multi-D Monte Carlo radiation transport code, assuming spherical symmetry in the background medium and the photon sources distribution, and performed simulations of gamma-ray and hard X-ray emissions from the decay chain $\mathrm{^{56}Ni}\to\mathrm{^{56}Co}\to\mathrm{^{56}Fe}$. We find that key gamma-ray lines (847 and 1238 keV) from $\mathrm{^{56}Co}$ decay in the $130M_\odot$ helium core model can be detected up to 300-400 Mpc by next-generation MeV gamma-ray telescopes. In contrast, the signals from the $100M_\odot$ model remain below the detection limits. Our results provide the template for gamma-ray follow-up observations of PISNe. Considering theoretical predictions and observational constraints, we estimate PISN event rates within 300 Mpc to be approximately 0.01-0.1 events per year, highlighting their rarity but also emphasizing their feasibility as targets for future gamma-ray observations over the decade.
title Expectation for the MeV Gamma-Ray Emission from Pair-Instability Supernovae
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.21744