Abstract
In order to overcome the present difficulties of the type II supernova explosion mechanism the authors propose a scenario driven by strange matter formation in a high density nuclear matter medium. It is shown that strange matter energetics could suffice to drive a detonation wave that carries ≡1051erg which is the right order of magnitude expected for the energy outputs of these events. The SN 1987A's neutrino emission detected by Kamiokande group is naturally interpreted as the signal of the sketched process. The presence of a strange star instead of a neutron star as a compact remnant for type II supernovae, and its compatibility with the discovery of the unexpectedly fast pulsar PSR 1987A is discussed.
