The ExaStar project simulated the abundance of Nickel-56 (56Ni) in the late stages of a core-collapse supernova explosion, just before the shockwave formed in the explosion is about to reach the surface of the star (i.e., more than 20 hours after the core initially collapsed in the center of the star). The turbulent mushrooms seen at various angles will produce characteristic structures in the supernova remnant, and the radioactive decay of the nickel will be visible in gamma-rays. The combination of the Summit supercomputer and the ExaStar-enhanced FLASH5 code enabled this significant extension of evolution from usual core-collapse simulations. Simulations like this—from initiation to observable consequence—allow researchers to directly connect simulations to observations of astrophysical explosions. This ability to compare simulation with observation is necessary to enable understanding of the origin of the elements in the Universe, as well as a host of other fundamental physics, including the nature of dense matter and the generation of gravitational waves. Courtesy: the ExaStar project
