Trends in Numerical Relativistic Astrophysics

David Meier
California Institute of Technology

In this presentation the speaker will discuss several topics in numerical relativistic astrophysics on which he and his colleagues have published in the recent literature. Not all of these topics will be addressed with numerical simulations performed in the present or near future; in fact, some may not be addressed for perhaps one or more decades. The topics include 1) performing new astrophysical studies with well-known physics (e.g., strongly magnetized jets and accretion disks), 2) adding new physics for handling small scale plasma phenomena in global simulations, and 3) introducing new numerical techniques and approaches that are suited for much more powerful computers than are currently available. The discussion will occur in the context of the production, acceleration, and propagation of relativistic cosmic jets from accreting and forming black hole systems, but many of the main points could be applied to other areas of numerical astrophysics as well. The goals of the presentation are to a) review the current state of relativistic jet production and propagation, b) show some directions in which that field may be headed, and c) stimulate the audience, especially the youngest of the attendees, into recognizing that computational astrophysics potentially embraces a much broader set of numerical approaches and techniques (as well as physical problems) than are currently being discussed. The field may be as (or more) different 35 years from now as it was 35 years ago.

Presentation (PowerPoint File)

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