Project Goals 

 

"When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first."

attributed to Werner Heisenberg   

We are developing a comprehensive numerical model for the formation and evolution of non-thermal diffuse radio sources in galaxy clusters. This involves the simulation of structure formation, MHD turbulence, magnetic field growth, cosmic-ray dynamics and eventually radio feedback from galaxies. To accurately simulate turbulence, we combine high-order methods for Eulerian MHD with exascale-ready algorithms for structure formation in cosmology.

  1. Develop a numerical framework that can handle cosmological structure formation at the exascale (Mendygral+ 2017).

  2. Implement a high-order MHD solver that resolves turbulence and magnetic field amplification with minimal diffusivity and resistivity (Jang+ in prep., Donnert+ 2018).

  3. Implement a scalable gravity solver that does not require global communication or storage.

  4. Implement a cosmological framework for DM structure formation and Baryonic physics (expected mid 2019).

  5. First uni-grid fifth-order MHD cosmological simulation with 15-20 kpc homogeneous resolution (2019/2020). Predictions for magnetic fields in filaments, constraints on the numerical MHD dynamo.

  6. First predictions for POSSUM and the SKA: Simulate the formation of a massive galaxy cluster with 2 kpc resolution and characterize the magnetic dynamo in the ICM using a three-level zoomed simulation (end 2020).

  7. Models for cosmic-ray electron (re-)acceleration by shock and turbulence on the grid.

  8. Predictions of the formation of giant radio haloes and radio relics at high resolution for LOFAR surveys key science project.