SUPERNOVAE, which are among the universe’s most spectacular explosions, could be caused by powerful sound waves.
A massive star detonates as a supernova when the nuclear fuel in its core runs out. The core can no longer withstand gravity and it implodes into a super-dense neutron star. But the next step is a puzzle: how does the implosion turn into an explosion?
Some theorists have suggested that after the neutron star forms, the surrounding stellar matter that continues to rain down on it bounces off the dense surface, and this causes the explosion. Others have postulated that the outer layers…
