A research team at Lund University in Sweden has succeeded in following the progression of a galaxy over a period of 13.8 billion years by utilizing a supercomputer simulation. A research team at Sweden’s Lund University used a supercomputer simulation to track the evolution of a galaxy over 13.8 billion years. The study demonstrates how, over time, interstellar frontal collisions transform young and chaotic galaxies into spiral galaxies like the Milky Way.
The study, published in the Royal Astronomical Society’s Monthly Notifications, demonstrates how, as a result of interstellar frontal collisions, young and disorderly galaxies eventually grow into spiral nebulae like the Galaxy.
The Universe was an unruly place soon after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. Galaxies collided all the time. Stars formed at an incredible rate within massive gas clouds. After a few billion years of intergalactic chaos, the unruly, embryonic galaxies became more stable and evolved into well-ordered spiral galaxies. The precise trajectory of these events has long been a mystery to the world’s astronomers. Researchers were able to provide some clarity on the matter in a new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Using a supercomputer simulation, a research team has succeeded in following the development of a galaxy over a span of 13.8 billion years. The study shows how, due to interstellar frontal collisions, young and chaotic galaxies over time mature into spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way.
“We created a high-resolution simulation using a supercomputer that provides a detailed picture of a galaxy’s development since the Big Bang, as well as how young chaotic galaxies transition into well-ordered spirals,” says Oscar Agertz, an astronomy researcher at Lund University.
The astronomers, led by Oscar Agertz and Florent Renaud, use the Milky Way’s stars as a starting point for their research. The stars serve as time capsules, revealing details about distant epochs and the environments in which they formed. Their positions, speeds, and amounts of various chemical elements can thus help us understand how our own galaxy formed, with the help of computer simulations.
“We discovered that when two large galaxies collide, massive inflows of star-forming gas can create a new disc around the old one. Our simulation shows that the old and new discs gradually merged over billions of years. This resulted not only in a stable spiral galaxy but also in star populations similar to those found in the Milky Way “Florent Renaud, an astronomy researcher at Lund University, agrees.
The new findings will aid astronomers in interpreting current and future Milky Way mappings. The study points to a new research direction in which the primary focus will be on the interaction between large galaxy collisions and the formation of spiral galaxies’ discs. The Lund research team has already begun new supercomputer simulations in collaboration with the PRACE research infrastructure (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe).
Deep space was an unmanageable location not long after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. Galaxies frequently collided. Stars are created at a high cost within massive gas clouds. However, after a couple of billion years of intergalactic turmoil, the chaotic, early galaxies became extra secure and also evolved into well-ordered spiral nebulae. The precise path of these advancements has long been a mystery to the world’s astronomers. However, scientists have actually been able to provide some quality on the subject in a new research study.
The astronomers, led by Oscar Agertz and Florent Renaud, use the Galaxy’s stars as a starting point in their research study. The celebrities function as time capsules, revealing information about distant dates as well as the environment in which they were created. Their settings, rates, and also quantities of various chemical components can, as a result, aid us to understand how our own galaxy was created using computer simulations.
“We will generate a lot of information with the current study and our new computer simulations, which means we will be able to better understand the Milky Way’s fascinating life since the beginning of the Universe,” Oscar Agertz concludes.
