Multidimensional Radiation-Hydrodynamic Simulations of Core-Collapse Supernovae, Winds from Oblate Hot Stars, and Explosions of Rapidly-Rotating Stars

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Dr. Jeremiah Murphy is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of Washington. Dr. Murphy will complete development of BETHE, a multi-angle, multi-energy-group, multidimensional, time-dependent radiation-hydrodynamics code. Radiation hydrodynamics is a core subject in astrophysics, and for many phenomena asphericities either accompany or are fundamental to the underlying theory. BETHE uses novel mixed-frame radiation transport that is straightforward to implement, generalizable to multiple dimensions, accurate and relatively fast. The hydrodynamics solver is an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method and uses arbitrary grids providing flexibility to tailor the grid to the computational challenge. Together, these characteristics allow for unique multidimensional simulations of astrophysical phenomena. In particular, Dr. Murphy will (1) address the viability of the neutrino and acoustic mechanisms for core-collapse supernovae, (2) simulate winds from oblate hot stars, and (3) investigate whether proposed mechanisms for luminous-blue-variable outbursts can reproduce, in the context of rapidly rotating stars, the observations of Eta Carinae's Homunculus.Dr. Murphy will also be actively involved with the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP), which seeks to retain a diverse student body in the University of Washington Astronomy Department. Pre-MAP targets first-year students from traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences (women, first-generation and low-income college students, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders) with two primary goals: to engage students' interest and enthusiasm through research and to provide a supportive community, enabling their success. Dr. Murphy's roles will be to mentor Pre-MAP students, to offer simulation results to analyze, to support field trips and research, and, most importantly, to evaluate and improve the program.