Towards Exascale Astrophysics of Mergers and Supernovae (TEAMS)
The TEAMS project brought together cutting-edge simulations, theoretical insights, and collaborative efforts to deepen our understanding of some of the universe’s most extreme phenomena—supernovae, neutron star mergers, and the powerful signals they emit. Using one of the largest suites of 3D supernova simulations ever conducted, researchers uncovered new insights into how massive stars explode, how those explosions vary by stellar mass, and what conditions lead to the birth of neutron stars or black holes. They also studied the radiation and gravitational wave signals emitted during these events, revealing how future observations can be used to uncover what happens deep inside collapsing stars. The team developed improved tools for modeling how light and neutrinos behave in such explosive environments, enabling more accurate predictions of what astronomers might observe. Work also explored how the chemical composition and geometry of kilonovae—the visible explosions that follow neutron star mergers—influence their signals and can reveal the origins of heavy elements like gold. These efforts not only advanced scientific knowledge, but also trained a new generation of researchers at the intersection of astrophysics, computational science, and nuclear theory.