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Been reading up on a particular type of supernova, called a "pair instability" supernova. It's a really funky mechanism, and has a stunningly big number involved, even when I try to narrow it down to human scales....
Your everyday star is held in balance by (mostly) two forces: the core is basically a thermonuclear explosion, wrapped in a gas so hot it's not really a gas anymore...it likes to expand when it's in a vacuum.
On the flipside, its own (very big) gravity is trying to crush it.
On the flipside, its own (very big) gravity is trying to crush it.
Stars are generally pretty stable and long-lived because they automatically find the balance point between the two forces. But there's other forces that come into play in odd situations, and create "instability". Often to the detriment of nearby rocks.
One "odd situation" is in stars from 130 to 250 times the mass of our Sun. So pretty big. Not the biggest, but big.
Instead of heat, simply the average speed of the atoms, pushing outward, light itself becomes significant. Light can push, ever so gently.
Instead of heat, simply the average speed of the atoms, pushing outward, light itself becomes significant. Light can push, ever so gently.
But the photons (light particles) in these stars have so much energy they make a big contribution to the outward push against gravity.
Then the star collapses slightly for <multiple possible reasons> and the light gets more intense...intense enough to change into matter.
Then the star collapses slightly for <multiple possible reasons> and the light gets more intense...intense enough to change into matter.
It basically condenses into electron-positron pairs, good old E=mc^2, but instead of a tiny amount of matter producing a lot of photons (see: nuclear bombs) we have the reverse: hugely energetic photons producing a small amount of matter.
And not holding the star up any more.
And not holding the star up any more.
The star collapses a bit. The core gets hotter as a result. It produces even *more* energetic photons which are *more* likely to produce electron-positron pairs. The star collapses a bit more.
You probably see where this is going. Not well.
You probably see where this is going. Not well.
The star collapses VERY rapidly. So fast that the entire thing is "dispersed". None of your shrugging off the outer layers and puffing out into a red giant...no collapsing down to a neutron star....just bang.
In the last few seconds they produce a lot of Nickel. A silly amount. This is where the big number comes in.
Your average pair instability supernova produces something like 40 solar masses of Nickel alone.
Current price for Nickel: $16 per kilo.
Your average pair instability supernova produces something like 40 solar masses of Nickel alone.
Current price for Nickel: $16 per kilo.
I won't take you through all the zeroes, but at a rough estimate, you could buy the Nickel produced in a pair instability supernova if:
You earn $3Tn (4x USA military budget)
Every millisecond
Since the Big Bang 13.85Bn years ago
And then you'd be bankrupt
/fin
You earn $3Tn (4x USA military budget)
Every millisecond
Since the Big Bang 13.85Bn years ago
And then you'd be bankrupt
/fin
