The Extraordinary Deaths of Ordinary Stars: 3D Simulations of Common Envelope Phases

Jason Nordhaus博士被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在罗切斯特理工学院（RIT）的计算相对论和引力中心开展研究和教育计划。Nordhaus将使用新的、最先进的自适应网格细化、辐射流体动力学代码CASTRO（可压缩天体物理学）对共同包络（CE）相位进行三维数值模拟。在过去的两年里，诺德豪斯博士一直积极参与CASTRO的开发和核心坍缩超新星的初步科学应用。尽管CE阶段对于激变变星、合并致密天体、Ia型超新星的祖先和低质量演化恒星都很重要，但共同的包络阶段从未被正确模拟过。随着peta-scale的出现，高性能计算设施，如NSF资助的Blue沃茨系统，现在可以使用先进的多网格，多核技术模拟CE阶段。CASTRO已经在peta尺度水平上展示了出色的缩放能力，从而使其成为少数能够有效利用peta尺度资源的天体物理学代码之一。通过使用CASTRO来模拟各种二元类型和质量比的共同包络相位，可以为一系列天体物理系统取得重大而持久的进展。Nordhaus博士还将开发一个新的天文学和科学推理课程，教授给RIT国家聋人技术学院（NTID）的学生。诺德豪斯博士精通美国手语，NTID目前不提供任何聋人天文学课程。该课程将题为“通过我们的眼睛和双手的宇宙：介绍科学推理和天文学。“这门课程将偏离传统的讲座，通过天文学在一个活跃的，但非语言的环境中教授科学推理。学期末的一个项目将让学生分成3-4人一组，每组为聋哑高中生设计一个小时的讲座，其中突出了“宇宙”课程的一个特定主题。根据这些课程结束后的项目，诺德豪斯博士将制作一个为期一周的多媒体教学指南，供聋哑学生的高中教师在课堂上使用。诺德豪斯博士将通过NTID广泛的免费在线课程材料向全国各地的教师免费提供这些材料。

Dr. Jason Nordhaus is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Nordhaus will conduct three-dimensional numerical simulations of common envelope (CE) phases with a new, state-of-the-art adaptive mesh refinement, radiation-hydrodynamic code CASTRO (Compressible Astrophysics). For the past two years, Dr. Nordhaus has been active in the development of, and initial science applications of CASTRO to core-collapse supernovae. Despite the importance of CE phases for cataclysmic variables, merging compact objects, the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, and low-mass evolved stars, common envelope phases have never been properly simulated. With the advent of peta-scale, high-performance computing facilities such as the NSF-funded Blue Waters system, simulating CE phases with advanced multi-grid, multi-core techniques is now possible. CASTRO has demonstrated excellent scaling at the peta-scale level, thus making it one of only a few astrophysics codes able to efficiently employ peta-scale resources. By employing CASTRO to simulate common envelope phases for various binary types and mass-ratios, significant and long-lasting progress can be made for a range of astrophysical systems.Dr. Nordhaus will also develop a new, astronomy and scientific reasoning class to be taught to students at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Dr. Nordhaus is fluent in American Sign Language, and NTID currently does not offer any deaf astronomy classes. The course will be entitled "The Universe Through Our Eyes and Hands: An Introduction to Scientific Reasoning and Astronomy." The course will deviate from a traditional lecture to teach scientific reasoning through astronomy in an active, but non-verbal, environment. An end-of-semester project will have students break into groups of 3-4 with each group designing a one-hour lecture for deaf high school students which highlights a particular topic from "The Universe" course. Based on these end-of-course projects, Dr. Nordhaus will produce a one-week, multi-media teaching guide that high-school teachers of deaf students can use in their classrooms. Dr. Nordhaus will make the material freely available to teachers throughout the country via NTID's extensive free online course materials.