Astrophys. J. 720, 694–703 (2010)

When a star much more massive than the Sun runs out of fuel, its core collapses and sparks an enormous explosion, or supernova. Neutrinos in the core are believed to be key to triggering the blast, but observations of neutrinos from real explosions don't match up well with theoretical predictions.

Credit: AM. ASTRON. SOC.

Jason Nordhaus of Princeton University in New Jersey and his colleagues think the problem may be a dimensional one. Most supernova computer models are one- or two-dimensional, to expedite calculations. When the team used supercomputers to run a three-dimensional simulation of a supernova, they found that the extra degree of freedom led to a significantly more efficient and vigorous, and earlier explosion (pictured) — a result that more closely matches observations.