Toward an Understanding of the Core Collapse Supernova Central Engine and Supernova Gravitational Wave Emission*

We live in exciting times. On one front, significant progress has been made in the past decade. Based on increasingly sophisticated three-dimensional multi-physics simulations of core collapse supernovae, the efficacy of neutrino-heating as the driver of explosion, assisted by multidimensional effects such as turbulent convection and the standing accretion shock instability, or SASI, has been demonstrated. Explosions have been obtained across the leading modeling groups and across progenitor characteristics, such as mass, rotation, and metallicity. On another front, a new window on the Universe has opened. Gravitational wave astronomy provides an opportunity to look deep into the supernova's core, to gather information about the "central engine." And the continuing prospects brought to us by neutrino astronomy, as well as astronomy across the electromagnetic spectrum, make this an ideal time to be a supernova modeler and to work fervently to prepare for the next Galactic event. Important work remains. Three-dimensional general relativistic models with complete neutrino physics do not yet exist, only sophisticated approximations of them. Nonetheless, current modeling is allowing us to develop a sophisticated understanding of the anatomy of a core collapse supernova gravitational wave signal and its underlying sources. In turn, this is driving the development of techniques to detect and analyze gravitational wave signals and, with that, efforts to extend the range of detectability given the low Galactic and near-extra-Galactic supernova rate, and to maximize the astrophysical information – for example, about the stellar progenitor or remnant neutron star – that can be culled from a detection. I will report on the status of core collapse supernova modeling, including explosion and gravitational wave modeling, on the efforts of the UT–ORNL group, as well as on the challenges that lie ahead if we are to take full advantage of the eventuality of a Galactic supernova.