2002/07/11 by John C. Hayes, Michael L. Norman · 2 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Code (set theory) #Computation #Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics #Context (archaeology) #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Non-equilibrium thermodynamics #Opacity #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Solver #Tensor (intrinsic definition) #Variable (mathematics) #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/374658
57 pages (including 18 eps figures); submitted to the ApJ Supplement; prepared with AASTEX 5.0
arxiv created 2002/07/11 · openalex publication_date 2003/07/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
This paper presents a new code for performing multidimensional radiation hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations on parallel computers involving anisotropic radiation fields and nonequilibrium effects. The radiation evolution modules described here encapsulate the physics provided by the serial algorithm of Stone et. al (ApJSupp, vol 80, pp. 819-845), but add new functionality with regard to physics and numerics. Physics enhancments include the addition of time dependence to the computation of the variable tensor Eddington factor (VTEF) closure term, and a matter-radiation coupling scheme which is particularly robust for nonequilibrium problems. Numerical highlights include a discussion of how our code is implemented for parallel execution and a description of our scalable linear solver module. We present a suite of numerical tests from which the virtues and vices of our method may be gleaned; these include nonequilibrium Marshak waves, 2-D "shadow" tests showing the one-sided illumination of an opaque cloud, and full RHD+VTEF simulations of radiating shocks. We conclude that radiation moment solutions closed with variable tensor Eddington factors show a dramatic qualitative improvement over results obtained with flux-limited diffusion, and further that this approach has a bright future in the context of parallel RHD simulations in astrophysics.