Multi-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of young core-collapse supernova remnants

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
² Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Mönchhofstr. 12-14, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
³ European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
⁴ Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
⁵ Astronomy & Astrophysics Section, School of Cosmic Physics, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, DIAS Dunsink Observatory, Dublin D15 XR2R, Ireland
⁶ Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
⁷ Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
⁸ Universität Heidelberg, Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Wissenschaftliches Rechnen, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

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Received: 20 October 2025
Accepted: 5 May 2026

Abstract

Supernova remnants (SNRs) play a central role in shaping the interstellar medium. Core-collapse supernova (CCSN) progenitors are massive stars that produce a dense circumstellar medium (CSM) through intense mass loss in post main-sequence evolution. The subsequent CCSN produces a strong shock that expands into a highly structured, complex magnetised environment. Magnetohydro-dynamic (MHD) consideration of pre- and post-CCSN evolution in multiple dimensions are desirable to further our understanding of non-thermal aspects. We aim to determine how detailed stellar evolution treatment influences the shock propagation by focusing on two prototypical CCSN scenarios: red supergiants (RSGs) which have slown stellar winds and moderate mass-loss rates, and Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars which have faster winds and higher mass-loss rates. We used the PION code to perform 3D MHD simulations of these CCSN progenitors. We use a detailed stellar evolution prescription to accurately and self-consistently model the pre-SN CSM and initialise CCSN explosions to investigate the surrounding environment. Our 2D and 3D treatment, inclusion of radiative cooling, and assumption of full photoionisation produces CSM features not identified in previous work. In the WR model we produced a coherent set of fast reflected shocks. In both cases we find faster forward shocks than predicted by analytic theory due to additional wind acceleration from photoionisation for the RSG case and accounting for the CSM expansion in the WR case. The model predictions of slowly rotating RSG and WR stars result in weakly magnetised wind bubbles, limiting potential for their SNRs to become petaelectronvolt particle accelerators. Detailed multi-dimensional MHD treatment of the CSM is needed to account for SNR evolution beyond the wind termination shock, where dynamic instabilities can be important. Including self-consistent stellar evolution is important for determining the CSM density and magnetic field structure close to the star, which govern the shock properties and SNR evolution for the first few hundred years.