  Muons can be created in nascent neutron stars (NSs) due to the high electron
chemical potentials and the high temperatures. Because of their relatively
lower abundance compared to electrons, their role has so far been ignored in
numerical simulations of stellar core collapse and NS formation. However, the
appearance of muons softens the NS equation of state, triggers faster NS
contraction and thus leads to higher luminosities and mean energies of the
emitted neutrinos. This strengthens the postshock heating by neutrinos and can
facilitate explosions by the neutrino-driven mechanism.
