FIZ 642E - Computational Methods in Astrophsics

Course Objectives

1-Conveying the modern methods developed for modelling radiative magnetohydrodynamic codes and visualizing the numerical outputs.
2-Formation of required theoretical knowledge for following the literature on nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws.
3-Introducing the contemporary astrophysical problems on which the methods can be applied.

Course Description

The course covers the numerical methods and visualization techniques required in the solution of astrophysical problems. After a brief introduction with the problems that require the solution of ordinary differential equations, the course marches towards discussing the modern methods for numerical solution of hyperbolic conservation laws for fluids. The course aims at understanding, usage and adaptation of modern codes written for the 2- and 3-dimensional simulation of radiative ionized gases. The course thus presents the numerical methods developed for star formation, stellar structure and evolution, astrophysical disks, and jets emerging out of these disks. The acquired knowledge on computation
methods are then related to the contemporary research fields about the astrophysics of compact objects like black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs.