Simulation of particle problems in astrophysics

✍ Scribed by R.A. James

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 946 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-4655
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-4655(82)90138-2

✦ Synopsis

Although particle-mesh simulation techniques have proved extremely valuable in the study of galactic evolution, the high cost of the calculations on serial computers and the limited resolution which can be employed have severely restricted applications. The vector and array processors now available offer substantial improvements. The CRAY-IS computer provides a speed improvement by a factor between 7 and 10 as compared with the CDC 7600. A substantial amount of program revision is needed to obtain this improvement but the basic algorithms used are unchanged.

Use of the ICL DAP involves substantial changes in the algorithms employed. This machine also offers considerable improvements over serial machines. Both the CRAY-IS and the ICL DAP allow us to run reasonably realistic simulations at acceptable cost.