New Supernova models take on third dimension

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., June 4, 2002 -- Astrophysicists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, have created the first 3-D computer simulations of the spectacular explosion that marks the death of a massive star. Presented to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Albuquerque, N.M., today, the research by Michael Warren and Chris Fryer eliminates some of the doubts about earlier 2-D modeling and paves the way for rapid advances on other, more exotic questions about supernovae.

"Modeling the collapse of a massive star represents one of the greatest challenges in computational physics," Warren said. "All four fundamental forces of nature are in play, giving us a cosmic laboratory with conditions unlike anywhere else in the Universe. Only if we truly understand the fundamental physics involved and do a perfect job of implementing the computational algorithms will we be able to reproduce the ever-increasing quality of the observational data."

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[Edited on 5-2-2003 by ultra_phoenix]