High Energy Astrophysics with the PLUTO Code : where we are and where we are going

Séminaire IPAG de Andrea Mignone (University of Torino), jeudi 17 mai 2018 à 11h00, salle Manuel Forestini IPAG

This talk aims at reviewing the current state of the art in the computational modelling of high-energy astrophysical phenomena such as, for example, relativistic jet propagation and pulsar wind nebulae. A comprehensive modelling of such systems is a challenging task because physical mechanisms operate over an enormous range of spatial and temporal scales.

Although MHD simulations have been successfully applied to investigate the large-scale dynamics of these environments, important kinetic effects relevant to the micro-scale cannot be described by the underlying fluid approach. The impact of the micro-scale physics cannot be underestimated if one wishes to take a unified, cross-scale view on MHD, plasma kinetics and radiative emission.

Pushed by these motivations, a number of efforts have been recently undertaken in order to connect the microphysical scale (where energy dissipation occurs and emission originates) to the macroscopic scale (where dynamics trigger dissipation). In this perspective I will present, in the second part of my talk, recent developments in the PLUTO code to incorporate particle physics in the attempt of extending the range of applicability of standard MHD to smaller scales as well as to include additional physical effects such as radiation, particle acceleration and reconnection physics.