Pulsational pair-instability supernova
Imagine a gigantic star that is so massive and so hot that it glows brightly in the night sky. This star is slowly running out of fuel, and it's getting ready to die. But when it finally does die, it won't be a quiet passing. It will go out in a blaze of glory, exploding with a force that is hard to imagine.
This explosion is called a supernova, and it happens when a star collapses in on itself and then rebounds outwards. However, not all supernovas are the same. Some are much bigger and brighter than others, and they happen in a different way.
One kind of supernova is called a pulsational pair-instability supernova. This happens when a star is so massive that it starts to produce pairs of particles (like electrons and positrons) in its core. These particles collide and release energy, which heats up the core and causes it to expand. This expansion cools the core, which causes the pairs of particles to stop being produced. Then the core contracts again, and the cycle repeats itself.
This pulsation goes on for a while, but eventually, the core gets so hot and dense that the pairs of particles start to turn into photons (particles of light). This causes the core to expand very quickly, and it can't contract again. The outer layers of the star are blown away, leaving behind only the core, which collapses in on itself and explodes.
This kind of supernova is incredibly rare, and scientists have only observed a few of them. But they are important because they can tell us a lot about the early universe and the conditions that existed shortly after the Big Bang. They are also some of the most powerful explosions in the universe, releasing more energy than most other kinds of supernovas.
This explosion is called a supernova, and it happens when a star collapses in on itself and then rebounds outwards. However, not all supernovas are the same. Some are much bigger and brighter than others, and they happen in a different way.
One kind of supernova is called a pulsational pair-instability supernova. This happens when a star is so massive that it starts to produce pairs of particles (like electrons and positrons) in its core. These particles collide and release energy, which heats up the core and causes it to expand. This expansion cools the core, which causes the pairs of particles to stop being produced. Then the core contracts again, and the cycle repeats itself.
This pulsation goes on for a while, but eventually, the core gets so hot and dense that the pairs of particles start to turn into photons (particles of light). This causes the core to expand very quickly, and it can't contract again. The outer layers of the star are blown away, leaving behind only the core, which collapses in on itself and explodes.
This kind of supernova is incredibly rare, and scientists have only observed a few of them. But they are important because they can tell us a lot about the early universe and the conditions that existed shortly after the Big Bang. They are also some of the most powerful explosions in the universe, releasing more energy than most other kinds of supernovas.