Multimedia Gallery - Visualization

A Star is Born - Thanks to Supersonic Turbulence

Using the largest simulation of supersonic turbulence to date, UC San Diego researchers have shown how fundamental laws of turbulent geophysical flows can also be extended to supersonic turbulence in the interstellar medium of galaxies. This image, stored and analyzed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego, shows the density field from one snapshot of the simulation, run on 4,096 processors for two weeks and resulting in 25 terabytes of data. The brightest regions in the image represent gas at the highest density, compressed by the action of a complex system of shocks in the turbulent flow. Dense filaments and cores, created in such a way by supersonic turbulent flows, are subject to massive gravitational collapse - and that leads to the birth of stars.
Credit: Alexei Kritsuk, Michael Norman, Paolo Padoan, and Rick Wagner, UC San Diego
Source: San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego

Download hi-res
Right-click link in Windows or option-click on a Mac and choose "Save Target As..." to download file.

Additional info:None.

Special Restrictions:None

General Restrictions
Unless otherwise stated in Special Restrictions above, the images and videos provided in the San Diego Supercomputer Center's Multimedia Gallery are available for use by members of the media, teachers, university staff and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.

Conditions
Any media used in the gallery must be credited as stated in the caption. In cases where a special restriction states that the potential user must contact the owner prior to using the media, it is the responsibility of the potential user to follow through with this and obtain permission prior to using the media.