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How superwinds help drive galactic development

September 24, 2022

How superwinds help drive galactic development

Spiral Galaxy (Credit: Getty Images)

Galactic superwinds – large outflows of gas created by a combination of supernova explosions and stellar winds – are closely connected to a galaxy’s earliest stages of development and evolution, including aspects like its size, shape, and even how many stars will eventually call it home.

Yet while these winds are fairly common in the universe, the mechanisms that drive them are not well understood. In a recent paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, Ohio State physics graduate student Dustin Nguyen and Professor Todd Thompson constructed three-dimensional simulations that uniquely predict the observed morphology of these superwinds. 

Read more about this research in the Ohio State News article from Tatyana Wodall. 

Image Credit: Getty Images