* Astronomy

Netting new physics from a stellar collapse
Failed supernovae could provide a strong flux of neutrinos near the detection limit of current observatories
Stars more than eight times the mass of our Sun eventually collapse under their own weight, and may explode into spectacular supernovae. The temperatures and pressures generated in these events are so intense they create a large burst of particles called neutrinos, which eventually reach Earth.
Now, Cecilia Lunardini at Arizona State University and RIKEN BNL Research Centre in Upton, USA, has calculated that lots of neutrinos may also reach Earth from 'failed supernovae' - huge stars that collapse without exploding to produce black holes.
The neutrino contribution from these failed supernovae could greatly increase the total flux of neutrinos reaching Earth from millions of collapsing stars throughout the universe. Lunardini calls this total the 'diffuse supernova neutrino flux'.

Read more

-- Edited by Blobrana on Tuesday 25th of August 2009 04:10:54 PM