Computational methods for nucleosynthesis and nuclear energy generation

✍ Scribed by W.Raphael Hix; Friedrich-Karl Thielemann

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 343 KB
• Volume: 109
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0377-0427
• DOI: 10.1016/s0377-0427(99)00163-6

✦ Synopsis

This review concentrates on the two principle methods used to evolve nuclear abundances within astrophysical simulations, evolution via rate equations and via equilibria. Because in general the rate equations in nucleosynthetic applications form an extraordinarily sti system, implicit methods have proven mandatory, leading to the need to solve moderately sized matrix equations. E orts to improve the performance of such rate equation methods are focused on e cient solution of these matrix equations, by making best use of the sparseness of these matrices. Recent work to produce hybrid schemes which use local equilibria to reduce the computational cost of the rate equations is also discussed. Such schemes o er signiÿcant improvements in the speed of reaction networks and are accurate under circumstances where calculations with complete equilibrium fail.