The Mercury News has a new article on how physics and a Stanford professor played a key role in Episode III. Here's a clip before you head there for the rest:

In the opening scene of the latest ``Star Wars'' movie, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker expertly maneuver their Jedi fighters through explosion after explosion.

Thanks to Stanford University physicist and mathematician Ron Fedkiw, the computer-generated barrage actually captures the real physical properties of a blast.

``The key that was missing was the roiling and spinning after a real explosion,'' Fedkiw said. ``I created a new method to control the amount of rotation and turbulent motions in the scene.''

Fedkiw's invention of a method to make computer-simulated imagery more lifelike underscores the growing collaboration between traditional science and entertainment. He works one day a week as a consultant to George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic special-effects house. Some of Fedkiw's colleagues and students consult for Pixar Animation Studios.