Triggering a supernova

[willpittenger]

In one Star Wars trilogy, Jedi Academy Trilogy, we learn about the Sun Crusher. Supposedly, it had the ability to cause any star to undergo a supernova within an hour.<br /><br />Now, ignoring the fiction, how would you set of such supernovas? Could it be triggered in any star as descibed? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[enigma10]

Ignoring the fiction? <br /><br /> Such a weapon would have to induce a fusion reaction within the sun at an exact spot to induce an instability. In theory, this would cause a mini sun within the sun. This would not have an immediate effect, and most certainly not within a few hours. The biggest problem is somehow getting this change to happen within the sun with something travelling at NLS. Any form of matter would be destroyed upon impact with the sun, even if it was somehow shielded.<br /><br /> Pure fiction, even the idea. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"<font color="#333399">An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan</font></em> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

A supernova is created when a star of sufficient mass stops fusing at a sufficient rate to support that mass against gravity.<br /><br />If you can shut down the fusion, you can do it. As there is no practical way to do that, this is indeed fiction. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[nexium]

My guess is it is easier to delay a super nova than to start one. Crashing a small sun (over 90% hydrogen) into the core of a larger one, should refuel the the larger sun by pushing most of the helium out of the core of the larger sun.<br />If there are any massive helium only bodies that could be crashed into the core, a supernova might follow, but not likely unless the sun was close to super nova, as the helium body would push some hydrogen ahead of it into the core. Neil

 

[vogon13]

Sagan addressed this in one of his excellent books.<br /><br />The engineering needed is rather intense, but perhaps doable in a few centuries.<br /><br />You just need a gamma ray laser with an aperture of 10 meters (IIRC) and a somewhat oversized power supply. Seems like Burbridge calculated the necessary power transfer to a stellar surface to initiate an artificial supernove detonation, and the number is, as you can imagine, large . . . .<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

I still don't get it. A supernova results when a star over 8 Solar masses siwtches to Iron fusion in it's core, which is an endothermic reaction. Hence, no more heat, hence gravitational collapse. Anything at the surface is irrelevant, and anything that adds energy to the core would only expand the star's radius.<br /><br />I still don't understand the mechanism for triggereing a supernova. <br /><br />Any idea what Sagan book it was in? I'll stop by the library tonorrow <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

IIRC, it was Intelligent Life in the Universe.<br /><br />The gamma laser impingement on the surface of a star would initiate a largish fusion detonation, and the resulting shockwave would over-compress the stellar core and trigger an enormous increase in the fusion rate currently going on there.<br /><br />Stellar flambe'<br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

But an increase in the fusion rate only increase the star's diameter making a supernova collapse less likely.<br /><br />Oh well, I'll look up what Carl wrote and see what he said <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

The shockwave will pass throught the stellar core (and trigger an enormous burst of resultant fusion energy) far more rapidly than the star can dissipate the overload.<br /><br />Inertial confinement, you see. <br /><br />H-bomb on a rather interesting scale.<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

<font color="yellow">H-bomb on a rather interesting scale. </font><br /><br /> Is that a Vogonian scale?<img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Acch, you should see the size (and shape) of the thumb he puts on the scale.<br /><br />And speaking of scales, yuuuccchhh. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

Teller was thrilled to detonate a cubic metre of dueterium.<br /><br />This experiment is rather grander.<br /><br />Stand at a safe distance before the test.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

Would it be safe to stand somewhere in the next super-cluster over? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[dragon04]

Well, you could trigger a Type Ia supernova by moving a white dwarf next to a red giant.<br /><br />MW - the 30 second explanation of a type II is that the iron core collapses rapidly until the core approaches the density of an atomic nuclei. The infalling matter hits the "neutron wall" so to speak and rebounds out with great vigor. BOOM. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Dragon, thanx for the clarification, till I find the book <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[dragon04]

No problem. It's far more complex than that. But imagine the energy release of all that matter hitting a ball of neutronium at .25<i>c</i> or so.<br /><br />Wiki has a pretty good article on supernovae.<br /><br />Look Here <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[dragon04]

No problem. It's far more complex than that. But imagine the energy release of all that matter hitting a ball of neutronium at .25<i>c</i> or so.<br /><br />Wiki has a pretty good article on supernovae.<br /><br />Look Here <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>