:: OSEL.CZ :: - In the advanced STARFORGE simulation, stars are born very realistically

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STARFORGE simulation. Credit: Northwestern University / UT Austin.

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The universe seems to be at your fingertips, but in reality virtually everything in it is so terribly distant that we usually have to be content with observation. Another interesting possibility is the simulation of the universe and the processes that take place in it. The observed universe is frozen in time, and many things remain hidden from view. Simulations make it possible to observe the universe and its evolution very closely and in great detail. These simulations are rapidly evolving and will do unprecedented things.

Michael Grudić. Credit:

Northwestern University.

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American astrophysicists, led by Michael Grudić of Northwestern University, have developed a remarkable and visually stunning STARFORGE (Star Formation in Gaseous Environments) simulation, which offers the most realistic simulation of star formation with the highest resolution in 3D to date. Starforge can simulate the entire molecular cloud from which stars are born. It takes into account the dynamics of space gas, magnetic fields, gravity, temperature and other phenomena. In other words, it is a dream thing for both astrophysicists and the fascinated viewer.

It is also the first simulation of its kind to simultaneously model star formation, evolution, and dynamics, and also includes environmental factors, including mass jets, radiation, stellar wind, or a nearby supernova. STARFORGE is unique in that it monitors these factors all at once and not one selected.

The insides of the Fronter supercomputer. Credit: University of Texas, Austin.

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STARFORGE is a powerful virtual laboratory that allows you to solve lingering issues in the field of star formation. At the same time, the scientist is mainly interested in why star formation is so slow and inefficient, what determines the resulting mass of the star, or why stars tend to form in star clusters.

Scientists have already used STARFORGE to study the jets of the mass of stellar nuclei and have found that these jets play an important role in determining the resulting mass of a new star. According to Grudić, we have been simulating the formation of stars for many decades, but their STARFORGE means a great leap forward. Star formation is now the focus of astrophysics. It is difficult to research because a number of factors and processes are involved, not all of which we know in detail.

Not surprisingly, STARFORGE simulations are very computationally intensive. They are calculated by, among other things, the powerful Frontera supercomputer in the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the American University of Texas, Austin, and yet some of the simulations take three months. But the result is worth it. STARFORGE simulates a molecular cloud with a mass of tens to millions of Suns and its evolution in the time during which stars are born and disappear again. Scientists believe that we will have a lot of fun with STARFORGE simulations.

Video: STARFORGE: The Anvil of Creation