Cambridge University Press (CUP), Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, S270(6), p. 187-194, 2010
DOI: 10.1017/s1743921311000354
Full text: Unavailable
AbstractI provide a pedagogic review of adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) radiation hydrodynamics (RHD) methods and codes used in simulations of star formation, at a level suitable for researchers who are not computational experts. I begin with a brief overview of the types of RHD processes that are most important to star formation, and then I formally introduce the equations of RHD and the approximations one uses to render them computationally tractable. I discuss strategies for solving these approximate equations on adaptive grids, with particular emphasis on identifying the main advantages and disadvantages of various approximations and numerical approaches. Finally, I conclude by discussing areas ripe for improvement.