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The spin rate of pre-collapse stellar cores: wave-driven angular momentum transport in massive stars
The core rotation rates of massive stars have a substantial impact on the
nature of core-collapse supernovae and their compact remnants. We demonstrate
that internal gravity waves (IGW), excited via envelope convection during a red
supergiant phase or during vigorous late time burning phases, can have a
significant impact on the rotation rate of the pre-SN core. In typical () supernova progenitors, IGW may
substantially spin down the core, leading to iron core rotation periods . Angular momentum (AM) conservation during the
supernova would entail minimum NS rotation periods of . In most cases, the combined effects of magnetic torques and IGW
AM transport likely lead to substantially longer rotation periods. However, the
stochastic influx of AM delivered by IGW during shell burning phases inevitably
spin up a slowly rotating stellar core, leading to a maximum possible core
rotation period. We estimate maximum iron core rotation periods of in typical core-collapse supernova
progenitors, and a corresponding spin period of for newborn neutron stars. This is comparable to the typical birth
spin periods of most radio pulsars. Stochastic spin-up via IGW during shell
O/Si burning may thus determine the initial rotation rate of most neutron
stars. For a given progenitor, this theory predicts a Maxwellian distribution
in pre-collapse core rotation frequency that is uncorrelated with the spin of
the overlying envelope.Comment: Published in Ap
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