A major challenge for theoretical astrophysics is to explain how
massive stars end their lives. The death of massive stars,
supernovae, are some of the most energetic explosions in the Universe;
they herald the birth of neutron stars and black holes, are prodigious
emitters of neutrinos and gravitational waves, influence galactic
hydrodynamics, trigger further star formation, and are a major site
for nucleosynthesis. Though these explosions play an important and
multifaceted role in many cosmic phenomena, the details of the
explosion mechanism have remained elusive for many decades. I
endeavor to deepen our understanding of the mechanism of explosion.