THE SUPERNOVA SHOCK

Vigorous convection is the key to the supernova mechanism. An analytic theory is presented which parallels the computations of Herant et al. Energy is delivered by neutrinos to the convecting medium. The most important quantity is rho(1)r(3), where rho(1) is the density outside the shock. This can be obtained from the computations of Wilson et al., since it is not affected by the convection behind the shock. It is closely related to M, the rate at which matter falls in toward the center. The outgoing shock is dominated by the Hugoniot equation; the shock cannot move out until its energy is of the order of 1 foe (=10(51) ergs). Once it moves, its velocity and energy are calculated as functions of its radius. Nucleosynthesis gives an appreciable contribution to the energy. A, substantial fraction of the energy is initially stored as nuclear dissociation energy, and then released as the shock moves out. This energy cannot at present be calculated from first principles, but it can be deduced from the observed energy of SN 1987A. of 1.4 +/- 0.4 foe. From the result it is shown that about one-half of the infalling material goes into the shock and one-half accretes to the neutron star.