Making More Realistic Galaxy Clusters: Confronting AMR Cosmological Simulations of Thermal and Nonthermal Processes with Observations

制作更真实的星系团：通过观测对抗热和非热过程的 AMR 宇宙学模拟

• 批准号: 1106437
• 负责人: Jack Burns
• 金额: $ 38.27万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-07-01 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1106437&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Making; More; Realistic; Galaxy; Clusters

Clusters of galaxies can be used to constrain cosmological parameters such as the cosmological constant and are an important probe of dark matter and dark energy. However, their use in these roles is limited by their remaining systematic uncertainties in such nonlinear thermal and nonthermal processes, such as cosmic rays and magnetic fields. This project is focused on using advanced adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) cosmological magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) N-body computer simulations with physics constrained by multiwavelength observations. The principal investigator used previous NSF funding to develop the framework to support these investigations using the Enzo computer code. In the proposed project, Cloudy, a new radiative cooling computer software module, will be combined with three different models for distributed heating---star particles, massive galaxy constructs, and active galactic nuclei. These additions to the simulations will help provide more realistic modeling of cluster evolution that will improve our general understanding of cluster properties, such as biases in current mass estimation and limitations of using clusters as probes of precision cosmology.The project builds on previous NSF-funded work on developing code to simulate cluster evolution. The proposed more advanced simulations will lay important and timely groundwork for interpreting upcoming Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect, weak lensing, radio, and X-ray surveys. The proposed work will do an excellent job of closely matching simulations with observations in the radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray portions of the spectrum. This work is at the forefront of such investigations.The principal investigator offers several ways to extend the impact of this project. Educationally, (1) a postdoctoral fellow and a graduate student will participate and be mentored in the project, and (2) modules will be integrated into undergraduate and graduate coursework to teach such physical principles as large scale structure formation and turbulence in the Universe. For public outreach, cosmological simulations will be incorporated into public planetarium programs locally and freely distributed nationally to other planetariums. Finally, the principal investigator will make the developed software modules publicly available to the benefit of the entire scientific community.

星系团可以用来约束宇宙学常数等宇宙学参数，是研究暗物质和暗能量的重要探针。 然而，它们在这些角色中的使用受到它们在这种非线性热和非热过程中剩余的系统不确定性的限制，例如宇宙射线和磁场。该项目的重点是使用先进的自适应网格细化（AMR）宇宙磁流体动力学（MHD）N体计算机模拟与多波长观测的物理约束。 首席研究员使用以前的NSF资金来开发框架，以支持使用恩佐计算机代码的这些调查。 在拟议的项目中，云，一个新的辐射冷却计算机软件模块，将结合三个不同的模型分布加热-星星粒子，大质量星系结构，和活动星系核。 这些增加的模拟将有助于提供更真实的集群演化模型，这将提高我们对集群属性的总体理解，例如当前质量估计的偏差和使用集群作为精确宇宙学探针的局限性。 提议的更先进的模拟将为解释即将到来的Sunyaev-Zeldovich效应，弱透镜，无线电和X射线调查奠定重要和及时的基础。 拟议中的工作将做一个很好的工作，密切匹配模拟与观测的无线电，X射线和伽马射线部分的频谱。 这项工作处于此类调查的前沿。首席研究员提供了几种方法来扩大该项目的影响。 在教育方面，（1）博士后研究员和研究生将参与并指导该项目，（2）模块将被整合到本科和研究生课程中，以教授宇宙中大规模结构形成和湍流等物理原理。 为了向公众宣传，宇宙学模拟将被纳入当地的公共天文馆计划，并在全国范围内免费分发给其他天文馆。 最后，首席研究员将公开开发的软件模块，以造福整个科学界。