Seeing Triple: New 3-D Model Could Solve Supernova Mystery

Giant stars die a violent death. After a life of several million years, they collapse into themselves and then explode in what is known as a supernova.

Visualizations of the 3D progenitor evolution simulation. The top row displays pseudocolor slices of the ²⁸Si mass fraction (top left), flow speed (top right), total mass fraction of iron group nuclei (bottom right), and specific nuclear energy generation rate (bottom left). The separate panels show different times since the start of the 3D simulation: 20 s (left), 100 s (middle), and 155 s (right). This final time is about 5 s before gravitational core collapse. The bottom row shows volume renderings of the surface where the “iron” mass fraction is 0.95 (left) and of the radial velocity (right) both at 155 s of 3D evolution. Source: Michigan State University