Nucleosynthesis in core collapse supernovae

We performed nucleosynthesis calculations for 13, 15, 20, and 25 M⊙ stars, based on induced supernova explosions. The calculations made use of mass cuts between the central neutron star and the ejected envelope by requiring ejected 56Ni‐masses in agreement with supernova light curve observations. Specific emphasis was put on the treatment of the innermost layers, which are the source of 56Ni, the Fe‐group composition in general, and some intermediate‐mass alpha‐elements like Ti. The predictions are compared with abundances from specific supernova observations (e.g., SN 1987A, 1993J) or supernova remnants (e.g., G292.0+1.8, N132D). The amount of detected 16O and 12C or products from carbon and explosive oxygen burning can constrain our knowledge of the effective 12C(α,γ)16O rate in He‐burning. The 57Ni/56Ni ratio can give constraints on Ye in the innermost ejected zones. This helps to estimate the necessary delay time between collapse and the neutrino‐driven explosion. Provided that the stellar pre‐collapse models are reliable, this allows additional insight into the exact working of the supernova explosion mechanism.