File:Gamma-ray.jpg

Computer simulations of a gamma-ray burst by Stan Woosley and Weiqun Zhang of UCSC. They used one of the fastest unclassified computers in the world at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. With 128 computer processors used simultaneously, the simulations tates 25,000 hours. The simulation above shows the beginning of a gamma-ray burst and the newly formed, accreting black hole. The jet erupting through the surface of the star, which has a radius comparable to that of the Sun. Blue represents regions of low mass concentration, red is denser, and yellow denser still. Note the blue and red striations behind the head of the jet. These are bounded by internal shocks. Credit: Weiqun Zhang and Stan Woosley, on-line at http://currents.ucsc.edu/02-03/06-23/gamma_rays.html.