<p>They work in the basement of a building on Florida State University's campus. But their work travels about 20,000 miles per second. It mimics the realms of the universe and it has turned FSU into a university to watch, said associate professor of physics Ingo Wiedenhover.</p>
<p>"Let me tell you that they will know that we are here - and not for the football program," Wiedenhover jokingly said about how physics researchers will begin to view FSU.</p>
<p>For the last five years, Wiedenhover has been building a special lab called "Resonator Solenoid with Upscale Transmission." That may sound like a mouthful, but the 16-ton, 450-square-foot, assembly-line-looking apparatus is referred to as RESOLUT by faculty and graduate students.</p>
<p>"It will enable us to understand stars better," Wiedenhover said.</p>
<p>Wiedenhover and nuclear physicists Samuel Tabor and Grigory Rogachev won't merely be stargazing. They will attempt to recreate a star exploding - known as a supernova.</p>
<p>"RESOLUT helps us understand how all the elements were made in the universe," Rogachev said.</p>
<p>So far, the men have conducted two separate experiments with RESOLUT. They release a beam of atomic particles at speeds approaching 60 million miles per hour - about one-tenth the speed of light. Then, they observe the nuclear reactions.</p>
<p>Wiedenhover said he couldn't share the findings from his first experiment until he conducts more research. This weekend, he attended a conference at Michigan State University - one of the premier research centers in the country.</p>
<p>"Supernova simulations are the forefront of astrophysics," Wiedenhover said, getting back to the research being done at FSU. "The reason I'm so excited is because we found what was expected and then some."</p>
<p>Wiedenhover said his team's research will change assumptions surrounding astrophysics.</p>
<p>"RESOLUT is a facility that keeps us in the forefront of the world," Tabor said.</p>
<p>Rogachev said it's not just for astrophysics. RESOLUT is a multi-purpose device that helps create situations that do not exist in nature.</p>
<p>"If not for RESOLUT, I definitely would not come here," said Rogachev, who was recruited for the project from Notre Dame. </p>