Plewa’s research introduces new supernova model
Scientists have studied fusion, supernovae, and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability for more than a century in the quest for clean, inex- haustible sources of energy. Fission, the cur- rent method of energy production, involves dividing one atom into two, whereas fusion combines two atoms into one. Fusion takes place naturally in stars at extreme tempera- tures and enormous gravitational pressures. Scientific Computing Professor Tomasz Plewa studies nuclear fusion and supernovae; he and colleagues recently published research in the journal Nature Communications which changes the model for nuclear fusion.