Computational AstroPhysics

Computational astrophysics is the use of numerical methods to solve research problems in astrophysics on a computer.
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Some of the most important applications of computation in astrophysics are given below.

• Stellar structure and evolution

Calculating multidimensional stellar models of rapidly rotating stars, modeling the effects of hydrodynamical processes such as convection from first principles, and understanding how stars generate magnetic fields through dynamo processes.

• Radiation transfer and stellar atmospheres

Computational methods are required to calculate the propagation of light through the outer layers of a star, including its interaction with matter through absorption, emission, and scattering of photons. The calculation of cross sections for the interaction of light with matter for astrophysically relevant ions is itself a challenging computational problem.

• Astrophysical fluid dynamics

The dynamics of most of the visible matter in the universe can be treated as a compressible fluid. Time-dependent and multidimensional solutions to the fluid equations, including the effects of gravitational, magnetic, and radiation fields, require numerical methods. A vast range of problems are addressed in this way, from convection and dynamo action in stellar and planetary interiors, to the formation of galaxies and the large scale structure of the universe

• Planetary, stellar, and galactic dynamics

The most challenging problems today include accurate integration of the orbits of the planets over the age of the solar system, studying the dynamics of globular clusters including the effect of stellar evolution and the formation of binaries, studying galaxy mergers and interaction, and computing structure formation in the universe through the gravitational clustering of collisionless dark matter.