THE STUDY "A New Mechanism for Core-Collapse Supernova Explosions," published in the April Astrophysical Journal. The aim is to understand how a collapsing star can, in a single second, ignite into a supernova and explode like a trillion trillion trillion gallons of jet fuel.
THE PROBLEM Supernovas sculpt the universe—they help spawn new stars and created the calcium in your bones, the iron in your blood, and the fluorine in your toothpaste—yet nobody really knows what sets them off. "The supernova explosion mechanism is one of the major unsolved problems in astrophysics," says Adam Burrows of the University of Arizona.
THE FINDINGS Scientists understand how supernovas work right up to the boom. A massive star shines for about 10 million years, accumulating a nuclear ash pile until it hits a critical mass. In less than a second the core collapses, becoming 100 trillion times as dense as water,and immediately bounces ...
