Narrative

This piece is meant to represent the turbulent and laminar flows of plasma fluid movement within stars. Watercolor was chosen as the main medium due to the spontaneous and fluid nature of the paints; they can facilitate capturing the difference between the two flows within the star. The dark, condensed masses within the painting symbolize the laminar flows while the light and textured areas represent the turbulent flows also present within the star. These fluid movements are influenced by heat and interactions with other particles; these interactions make the fluid movement unique as represented by the three distinct snap shots of the system.

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Dr. Jane Pratt and Mary Geer Dethero work on astrophysical plasmas. Plasma, the so-called “fourth state of matter,” occurs when gasses become so hot that their constituent atoms ionize. Plasma is the material that makes up the stars, as well as the material between the stars. They study the fluid movements of plasmas as they interact with heat and other particles, and as they form turbulent flows, jets, shock waves, and convective plumes. These processes change how stars evolve over long periods of time, how magnetic fields are generated, and how material and radiation travel across large distances.