Choked jets in BSG/RSG as possible sources of high-energy neutrinos

Abstract

The death of massive stars is accompanied by the formation of central and accreting compact objects and the subsequent launch of relativistic jets. However, not all jets successfully drill their way out of the stellar envelope. Unsuccessful jets, also known as choked jets, may still produce radiation at lower frequencies by dissipating the jet energy into a pressurized cocoon. This cocoon expands within the stellar envelope and eventually breaks out as a mildly relativistic outflow. We investigate the plasma physics in the surroundings of massive collapsing stars harboring choked jets via relativistic, non-resistive MHD simulations. As a result, we define the parameter space allowing for jets to remain choked, and we quantify the acceleration rate and efficiency for charged particles in the strong shocks of such astrophysical environments. Preliminary results show that high Mach numbers ($\sim 100$) after 5-10 seconds of constant energy injection characterize the forward shock, possibly allowing for efficient particle acceleration and high-energy neutrino production. Our results are presented for blue supergiant progenitors.