Building New Insights to Galaxy Cluster Physics and Evolution

星系团是宇宙中最大的自引力结构，有时包含数千个星系。在最大的尺度上，宇宙中的物质--星系、气体和暗物质--分布在由相互连接的丝状物组成的巨大宇宙网络中。星系团被认为是在这些细丝的交汇处通过吸积--气体通过细丝流入星系团--或通过合并较小的星系团而形成的。来自明尼苏达大学双子城分校的一个团队将使用高分辨率的计算机模拟，以更好地理解星系团内介质(ICM)上合并和其他动力学事件的观测特征。这些特征包括激波、湍流和冷锋。此外，他们还将对位于星系中心的黑洞发射的射电喷流对ICM的影响进行高分辨率模拟。首席调查员(PI)将继续培训学生进行高性能计算，并将制作视频供贝尔自然历史博物馆和天文馆使用。此外，他还将继续参与无线电银河动物园公民科学项目的工作。该提案包括与惠普企业高性能计算团队的合作。该项目的目标包括：应用新颖的磁流体力学(MHD)模拟来更好地了解无线电喷流和ICM之间的相互作用；对非热、宇宙线发射和ICM动力学之间的可靠联系所需的非热粒子传输和加速的物理建模；进行宇宙学、MHD星团组装模拟，以便更好地将观测到的ICM结构与给定星系团的动力学状态和历史联系起来。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Galaxy clusters are the largest self-gravitating structures in the universe, sometimes containing thousands of galaxies. On the largest scales, matter in the universe - galaxies, gas and dark matter - is distributed in a vast cosmic web of interconnecting filaments. Galaxy clusters are believed to form at the intersection of these filaments through accretion – gas funneled through the filaments onto the cluster – or through mergers of smaller galaxy clusters. A team from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, will use high resolution computer simulations to better understand observational signatures of merging and other dynamical events on the intracluster medium (ICM). Such features include shocks, turbulence, and cold fronts. In addition, they will carry out high resolution simulations of the effect of radio jets – jets of plasma emitted from black holes that reside in the centers of galaxies – on the ICM. The Principal Investigator (PI) will continue training students in high performance computing and will create videos to be used by the the Bell Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. In addition, he will continue his work with the Radio Galaxy Zoo citizen science project. The proposal includes a collaboration with the Hewlett Packard Enterprise High Performance Computing Team.The aims of this project include; applying novel magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to better understand the interaction of radio jets and the ICM; modeling the physics of non-thermal particle transport and acceleration needed for reliable links between non-thermal, cosmic ray emissions and ICM dynamics; conducting cosmological, MHD cluster assembly simulations in order to better relate observed ICM structures to the dynamical state and history of a given cluster.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.