Physics Commons^™

Laboratory Plasma Tests Towards The Production Of Simulated Supernova Shock Waves, Elatia Zaffke, John Sinko, Matthew Thomas, Elisha Polomski

SCSU Journal of Student Scholarship

Supernovae are some of the most powerful explosions that occur in our universe. These explosions generate massive shock waves that span tens of light years in distance. They are responsible for atomic fusion that creates the denser elements, needed for the creation of planets such as our own. The goal of this project was to simulate a supernova on a small scale, in order to study the resultant shock waves and their effects upon the interstellar medium. This research can improve understanding of the impact these events have upon the formation of solar systems and the composition of the interstellar …