ASC / Alliances Center
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The Computational Physics and Validation Group provides a bridge between the astrophysicists and code architects and developers at the FLASH Center.
The Group's efforts are concentrated on the development of algorithms for compressible and incompressible hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, relativistic flows, radiation transport, and methods of data analysis suitable for block-structured adaptive meshes. These capabilities have been identified as essential for solving problems which are the focus of the Astrophysics Group. Since new algorithms and methods need testing, validation is a necessary component of the Group's research.
More specifically, each of the primary problems considered by the Astrophysics Group consists of two phases: the Initial Conditions and Final Blast. The IC phase is a slow accretion phase during which the compact object (a white dwarf or the neutron star) accumulates material being shed by the stellar companion. The FB phase is a violent phenomenon in which a release of thermonuclear energy leads to a rapid expansion of the heated matter.
The two phases pose very different difficulties. Time scales typical for the IC phase might be billions of times longer than those characteristic of the FB phase. Conditions during IC are close to hydrostatic equilibrium and the flow is only weakly compressible, while FB is rich in the shocked material expanding at speeds reaching 10,000 km/s. Consequently simulation of the IC phase requires methods for low Mach number fluid dynamics, long-time time integration, and relatively slow nuclear reaction and energy release rates, all in the context of hydrostatic equilibrium. Methods for the FB phase must instead be designed for flows dominated by strong, steep, fast moving fronts driven by massive, rapid release of thermonuclear energy. Depending on the type of flash, dynamic magnetic fields and radiation transport can play significant roles in the IC and/or FB phases.
Group Leader: Todd Dupont
Group Members
Former Group Members
- Vikram Dwarkadas
- Aamer Haque
- Nathan Hearn
- George Jordan
- Timur Linde
- Hua Pan
- Tomasz Plewa
- Natalia Vladimirova
- Greg Weirs
- Dahai Yu
Group Resources
Group Activities
- Chicago AMR workshop (2003)
- The DOE Office of Science INCITE award (2003)
Gallery
Seminar/Tutorial Series
| Date | Title | Speaker | File |
| 11-03-05 | Supernovae | Tomek Plewa | Plewa_SNe_1105.pdf |
| 11-10-05 | Hydrodynamics | Aamer Haque | hydrotalk.pdf |
| 12-08-05 | Low Mach Number Solver | Hua Pan | lsp-internal-talk.pdf |
| 12-15-05 |
On the Evolution of Thermo- nuclear Flames on Large Scales |
Ju Zhang | Zhang_tflame.ppt |
| 12-22-05 | Equations of State | Aamer Haque | eos.pdf |
| 01-05-06 | Computing Gravity | Nathan Hearn | 0601_nch_gravTalk_web.pdf |
| 01-19-06 | Riemann Solvers | Aamer Haque | riemann.pdf |
