Organisers: Kenny Wood (St Andrews);Tim Harries (Exeter)
Invited reviews by Rolf Kuiper (Emmy Noether Research Group Leader, University of Tubingen) and Anna Rosen (Einstein Fellow, Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics)
The complex interplay between matter and radiation is a fundamental driver of structure in the Universe at all scales, from the formation of stars and galaxies to the circulation of exoplanet atmospheres. Analytical approaches cannot capture the intricacy of these phenomena, and consequently we rely on numerical simulations to inform our understanding. Although hydrodynamical schemes, using both grid-based and particle approaches, have reached a high-level of sophistication, the incorporation of radiation effects has proven to be extremely challenging. Difficulties arise due to the non-local effects of radiation, and also that detailed microphysical processes may need to be included. Overcoming these obstacles requires a combination of clever numerical approaches and state-of-the-art computer science.
Happily we are now entering a golden era of radiation-hydrodynamical (RHD) simulations across the breadth of astronomy. In part this is due to increasing access to large-scale distributed high-performance computing, but it is also due to the implementation of novel radiation solvers into established, publicly accessible hydro codes.
This meeting will bring together researchers from across our community who have a shared interested in radiation hydrodynamics. The meeting will highlight both the newest technical innovations in the field, and also the role of these tools in novel science applications, from cosmology to exoplanets. Our aim is to encourage the sharing knowledge from disparate science areas, and also to showcase research at the forefront of computational astrophysics.
Link to the livestream here
Admission to Specialist Discussion Meetings is free for RAS Fellows, £15 for non-fellows (£5 for students), cash or cheque only, collected at the registration desk. Admission to the subsequent Open (Monthly A&G) Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society is open to all, at no charge.