A group of astrophysicists from the Universitat de València, led by the researcher Manel Perucho, has discovered a very efficient heating intergalactic medium mechanism which could dramatically alter the galaxies evolution because of its influence in the creation of new stars. The conclusions to this research have just been released in the scientific journal 'The Astrophysical Journal'. The scientists have proved that the heating process of the intergalactic medium could be faster than it has been thought to present.
The relativist simulations carried out at the Universitat de València's Departament d’Astonomia i Astrofísica have revealed that the heating mechanism of the intergalactic medium is ‘more efficent and faster than it was thought’, as stated Manel Perucho. ‘We have tried with simulations of energy injected from the centre of the galaxies to the outside, and we have proved that up to a 97% of its power is transferred to the environment through waves propagated at almost the speed of light.’
800,000 hours with the supercomputer Mare Nostrum were needed to carry out this discovery. ‘Each of the four calculus has used an equivalent number of 140 personal computers during 1,500 hours’ said the researchers. These calculus were performed with the code named ‘Rapneat’, which is a code capable to solve the relativist hydrodynamics’ equations.
This discovery enables us to deeply know about the galaxies evolution. If the heating of the environment among active galaxies is faster ‘it favors a stop in the material falling which makes possible the star creation’ added Vicent Quilis and José María Martí, the study’s cowriters. So to speak, this mechanism explains why less stars are created than what is thought.
This research has been developed under the framework of the research Real and Virtual Galaxies financed by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation. More than 40 researchers are collaborating from several Spanish universities (Universitat de València, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Universidad Complutense de Madrid), the United Kingdom (University of Central Lancashire, UCLAN) and the Netherlands (University of Groningen).
More information: http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/743/1/42.
Last update: 5 de december de 2011 13:21.
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