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Dr. Comer Duncan (duncan@bgnet.bgsu.edu) |
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Dr. Haowen Xi (haowen@bgnet.bgsu.edu) |
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Use high performance computers to express the
laws of nature as various kinds of equations |
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Using a high level language such as fortran 90
or C or C++ write computer programs to simulate some physical system of
interest |
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The simulations make predictions about how
physical systems behave |
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Ten SGI and Sun workstations |
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SGI Power Challenge with 4 processors |
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Compac/DEC alpha |
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At Ohio Supercomputer Center: 32 processor
Origin2000, 128 Processor Cray T3E, plus others |
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Allows us to understand complicated systems
since can simulate solutions of laws even if we can not solve the laws
exactly |
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Helps in
understanding how nature works in regions that are not accessible |
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Helps supplement experiments and suggest
experiments |
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Some galaxies emit large scale jets of ionized
gases—maybe from black hole in the galaxy center |
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Observations strongly suggest that the jet
material is moving very fast |
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We have simulated the flow of jet material with
speeds very close to light speed—so Einstein’s theory of relativity is used
in the work |
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Understand the conditions near the center of
galaxies which result in these interesting fast moving jets |
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Help observational astronomers better direct
their observations so we figure out what is really going on in the centers
of galaxies |
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Two cases are shown in movies |
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Flow of a jet which is moving at 92% of light
speed and |
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Flow of a jet which is moving at 99.4% of light
speed |
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Conclusion:
The jets with speeds very close to light speed are more stable—hold
themselves together much longer |
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Interested in simulations using computers
[PC:need language compiler]? |
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Contact Dr. Duncan or Dr. Xi for advice on doing simulations –they
are great fun and you can learn a lot !!! |
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