Star Formation Simulated in the lab, Using Lasers, of Course - Universe Today
The team used a high-power laser to create a blast wave that spread through a chamber of gas with a foam ball inside of it. Using X-ray imaging, they were able to observe the compression of the foam ball being hit by the blast wave. =500 ns after the beginning of the main laser pulse. Credit: Bruno Albertazzi et al.
These observations may help us understand the mechanisms for triggering star formation. Such interactions can impact star formation rate, the evolution of a galaxy, and explain the formation of some of the most massive stars. This experiment was more of a proof-of-concept than anything, giving researchers a new way to use lasers to find answers about astronomical questions that are difficult to deduce by other means. And who doesn’t like the idea of using lasers… for anything?
The blast wave caused a deformation of the foam ball which ended up being compressed on part of it while some of it ended up being stretched out, changing the average density of the material. In their subsequent experiments the researchers will have to take this into account to get an accurate measurement of the compressed material and the shockwave’s impact on star formation.
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