Edmonton scientist sees stars colliding
EDMONTON— A University of Alberta astrophysicist is seeing stars (or at least what it looks like after they collide) after helping create the first-ever 3D computer model of the aftermath of a neutron star collision.
Rodrigo Fernandez, an assistant professor in the department of physics, is on top of the world after working with a team of scientists from the United States to write a computer code that uses algorithms to model the event. A neutron star is the smallest and densest star, formed when giant stars collapse.
“We developed a code that can describe this neutron star collision in the most realistic way to date,” Fernandez said.
The 3D model gives scientists such as Fernandez a greater understanding of how heavy elements like gold and lead are formed in cosmic collisions.
“(The collision) produces the chemical elements that are heavier than iron, like gold and uranium, which are not the most abundant elements, but you need them to have the world as we know it,” Fernandez said.
“By being able to more realistically describe this, we have a better understanding of what’s happening in these environments where these elements are being made,” he added.
The level of detail in the 3D model allowed Fernandez and his team to visualize, for the first time, a gamma-ray burst (a form of high-energy radiation) from two neutron stars colliding.
The model depicts a black hole formed in the centre surrounded by a doughnut-shaped ring, which is known as an accretion disk.
Previous 2D models were falling short in explaining the phenomenon behind star collisions because the light from the collisions was brighter than current models could predict.
The 3D model also includes electromagnetic fields in the visualization, which provides a more accurate and realistic picture of how light is formed in star collisions, Fernandez said.