Tutorial #4: Supernova!!! (The bounce).

Near the end of the tutorial a demo was shown. 

In more detail:

1. The few Fe that form Cadmium, or fuse in a different manner, lower the temp in the core.
2. The lower temp --> lower pressure and the core collapse is accelerated!
3. The only way to stop the collapse is through quantum pressure.

What is quantum pressure?

Once quantum pressure stops the iron nuclei all protons are VERY CLOSE together. A situation similar to that in regular fusion.

What happens next? Protons turn to neutrons!
A neutron star forms, with very few protons left.

More precisely: 
Protons --> neutrons + anti-electrons + neutrino.

So lots of neutrinos emerge!

We actually observed some!

SN 1987 A - slide show.

The neutrinos interact very slightly with regular matter, but the HUGE NUMBER of them produced in miliseconds is able to push matter out of the supernova!!! (See HW#5).