Neutron Stars Formation and Core Collapse Supernovae

Abstract

In the last decade there has been a remarkable increase in our knowledge about core-collapse supernovae (CC-SNe), and the birthplace of neutron stars, from both the observational and the theoretical point of view. Since the 1930's, with the first systematic supernova search, the techniques for discovering and studying extragalactic SNe have improved. Many SNe have been observed, and some of them, have been followed through efficiently and with detail. Furthermore, there has been a significant progress in the theoretical modelling of the scenario, boosted by the arrival of new generations of supercomputers that have allowed to perform multidimensional numerical simulations with unprecedented detail and realism. The joint work of observational and theoretical studies of individual SNe over the whole range of the electromagnetic spectrum has allowed to derive physical parameters, which constrain the nature of the progenitor, and the composition and structure of the star's envelope at the time of the explosion. The observed properties of a CC-SN are an imprint of the physical parameters of the explosion such as mass of the ejecta, kinetic energy of the explosion, the mass loss rate, or the structure of the star before the explosion. In this chapter, we review the current status of SNe observations and theoretical modelling, the connection with their progenitor stars, and the properties of the neutron stars left behind.