Dynamics and Evolution of Young Dense Star Clusters

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AST-0708299McMillanPhysical interactions and collisions in dense stellar systems, such as galactic nuclei and compact star clusters, may significantly alter the properties of the stars, binary systems, and compact objects these systems contain. This project will perform realistic, high-resolution N-body simulations of the dynamics and evolution of dense stellar systems, combining direct integration of all stars in the cluster with self-consistent treatments of external tidal fields and dynamical friction. The central computational challenge is the design and implementation of modular software tools, combining many independent physics modules, that run efficiently on parallel platforms accelerated by special-purpose hardware. Initial conditions will be chosen to model specific systems, including the central parsec of our Galaxy, and the Arches and Quintuplet clusters within a few tens of parsecs of the Galactic center.The initial mass function and mass segregation, the population of primordial binaries and multiples, the formation of white-dwarf binaries and X-ray sources, and the inward transport of stellar remnants and merger products to the Galactic center, are topics of special emphasis. Results will be compared directly with optical, infrared, and X-ray observations of real clusters. This work should make significant inroads into forefront problems in astrophysics and computational physics, and elucidate the dynamics, evolution, and physical properties of the center of our Galaxy.The project team combines expertise in high-performance scientific computing, theoretical astrophysics, and development of sophisticated simulation and distributed data-analysis packages. Undergraduate and graduate students will be working on the project. The subject matter, and the hands-on visualization techniques needed for the data analysis, together make this research a natural topic for presentations to broad, non-scientific audiences.