Mixing region in a supernova remnant

3D ModelNoAI

Massive stars end their life cycles with catastrophic explosions known as supernovae (SNe). The aftermath of the explosion is a blend of stellar debris (the ejecta) expelled at supersonic velocities, and the material from the circumstellar medium (CSM) heated by the SN blast wave.

The model stems from an accurate magnetohydrodynamic simulation describing the evolution of a neutrino-driven SN explosion in a supernova remnant. The scene illustrates the details of the structure of the mixing region where stellar material mixes with CSM material. The array of mushroom-like features arises from hydrodynamic instabilities (Rayleigh–Taylor, Richtmyer–Meshkov, and secondary Kelvin–Helmholtz) that develop at the contact discontinuity between the ejecta and the CSM. The green nebula, partially infiltrated by the ejecta structures, represents the remains of an asymmetric shell of dense circumstellar material—likely a consequence of a massive eruption from the progenitor star ocurred in the millennia preceding the SN.