Stellar core collapse - Numerical model and infall epoch

The core infall stage of the final evolution of a ten solar mass star is studied using an accurate and detailed numerical model. The features of the model include a realistic initial model and equation of state, general relativistic hydrodynamics, independent treatment of neutrino pairs, multigroup flux-limited diffusion, direct solution of the electron scattering and thermal production terms, evaluation of exact neutrino interaction expressions, and a consistent treatment of the effects of matter compression and expansion on the neutrinos, including the transparent cutoff. Deleptonization occuring during the collapse is carefully examined, and a detailed comparison is made between the numerical results for the collapse and shock propagation phases and the conceptual framework.