A prevailing idea is that, the white dwarf gains matter from its companion star, a process that may eventually trigger the explosion, but whether this is the correct theory has been hotly debated for decades. But what exactly triggers the explosion of the white dwarf-the dead core left after a Sun-like star exhausts its nuclear fuel-is a great puzzle. Type Ia supernovae originate from the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf that is part of a binary system. This is why seeing hydrogen emissions coming from this supernova was so surprising. In fact, the lack of hydrogen is one of the defining features of this category of supernovae and is thought to be a key clue to understanding what came before their explosions. Furthermore, their violent explosions synthesize many of the elements that make up the world around us, which are ejected into the galaxy to generate future stars and stellar systems.Īlthough hydrogen is the most-abundant element in the universe, it is almost never seen in Type Ia supernova explosions. Their brilliance allows them to be seen across great distances and to be used as cosmic mile-markers, which garnered the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Type Ia supernovae play a crucial role in helping astronomers understand the universe. Their work is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Observations taken by the Magellan telescopes at Carnegie’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile were crucial to detecting the emission of hydrogen that makes this supernova, called ASASSN-18tb, so distinctive. Researchers supported by the Office of Science are also using machine learning techniques to identify, categorize, and measure supernovae and other celestial objects that can reveal information about the structure of the universe.Pasadena, CA-Detection of a supernova with an unusual chemical signature by a team of astronomers led by Carnegie’s Juna Kollmeier-and including Carnegie’s Nidia Morrell, Anthony Piro, Mark Phillips, and Josh Simon-may hold the key to solving the longstanding mystery that is the source of these violent explosions. In fact, Saul Perlmutter at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as well as scientists Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess won the Nobel Prize for their use of Type Ia supernovae to discover dark energy. The Office of Science’s High Energy Physics program also uses supernovae as a tool to develop maps of the universe. In partnership with other Office of Science programs, Nuclear Physics supports projects such as SciDAC, which advances the Scientific Computing Software and Hardware Infrastructure needed for projects such as simulating supernova explosions. That includes how matter – including the elements – is created and the role of supernovae in that process. Through its Nuclear Physics program, the Department of Energy Office of Science supports research into the fundamental nature of matter. DOE Office of Science: Contributions to Supernova Research Supernovae are cosmic particle accelerators that can be replicated in a laboratory in a project made possible with DOE Office of Science Fusion Energy Science program support.Supernovae are sources in our universe of elements, radiation, and neutrinos.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |