A Hydrodynamic Approach to Cosmology: Methodology
Abstract
The present study describes an accurate and efficient hydrodynamic code for evolving self-gravitating cosmological systems. The hydrodynamic code is a flux-based mesh code originally designed for engineering hydrodynamical applications. A variety of checks were performed which indicate that the resolution of the code is a few cells, providing accuracy for integral energy quantities in the present simulations of 1-3 percent over the whole runs. Six species (H I, H II, He I, He II, He III) are tracked separately, and relevant ionization and recombination processes, as well as line and continuum heating and cooling, are computed. The background radiation field is simultaneously determined in the range 1 eV to 100 keV, allowing for absorption, emission, and cosmological effects. It is shown how the inevitable numerical inaccuracies can be estimated and to some extent overcome.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
- Pub Date:
- February 1992
- DOI:
- 10.1086/191630
- Bibcode:
- 1992ApJS...78..341C
- Keywords:
-
- Computational Astrophysics;
- Cosmology;
- Hydrodynamic Equations;
- Dark Matter;
- Helium;
- Hydrogen;
- Photoionization;
- Recombination Coefficient;
- Astrophysics;
- COSMOLOGY: DARK MATTER;
- COSMOLOGY: THEORY;
- HYDRODYNAMICS;
- METHODS: NUMERICAL