What is the estimated energy fraction carried away by neutrinos during the core collapse sequence?
Answer
About 99% of the total gravitational binding energy released
The gravitational collapse, accompanied by photodisintegration and electron capture, releases an overwhelming amount of energy. However, the mechanism that carries away the vast majority of this released binding energy is the massive burst of neutrinos that stream out from the forming core. It is specifically estimated that around 99% of the total gravitational binding energy liberated during this rapid contraction phase is transported away by these neutrinos. This means the visible explosion is powered by only a minor fraction of the total energy conversion, while the primary energy release remains invisible.
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