Process leading to supernova explosions and cosmic radio bursts unearthed at PPPL

A promising method for producing and observing on Earth a process important to black holes, supernova explosions and other extreme cosmic events has been proposed by scientists at Princeton University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences, SLAC National Acceleraor Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The process, called quantum electrodynamic (QED) cascades, can lead to supernovas—exploding stars—and fast radio bursts that equal in milliseconds the energy the sun puts out in three days.