Excellence in Research: PIC Simulations of Relativistic Jets with Toroidal Magnetic Fields

该奖项支持对天体物理喷流的计算研究。天体物理喷流是一种高速、高度准直的电离气体流，是一种等离子体，来自巨大星系中心的超大质量黑洞等天文物体。这些喷气机可以在太空中飞行很远的距离，并由与它们起源的天文物体相关的强烈磁场提供动力。这些天体物理喷流的高相对论速度和能量使它们成为天体物理景观的重要特征，因为它们可以携带大量能量和物质，但也可以将粒子加速到已知的最高能量。通过用超级计算机模拟来补充观测来研究天体物理相对论喷流，能够使我们理解驱动这些极高能量现象的物理过程。它还可以更好地理解它们在塑造巨大星系和其他神秘天文物体的演化中所起的作用。在德克萨斯先进计算中心超级计算机设施的帮助下，该项目将使用一种创新技术来执行适用于黑洞喷流环境的大规模动能等离子体三维粒子单元(PIC)模拟。特别是，该项目将研究运动不稳定性的作用，以了解在模拟的具有螺旋磁场的圆柱形射流中的重要加速机制--冲击和磁重联。这项研究将提高我们对这些高能现象的认识，而这些现象目前还不能用传统的单流体相对论磁流体动力学模拟来研究。通过对电磁观测源中高能粒子加速机制的研究，该项目实现了美国国家科学基金会“宇宙之窗：多信使天体物理时代”计划的目标。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This award supports a computational study of astrophysical jets. An astrophysical jet is a high-speed, highly collimated stream of ionized gas, a plasma, that emanates from astronomical objects such as supermassive black holes in the heart of vast galaxies. These jets can travel over great distances in space and are powered by the intense magnetic fields associated with the astronomical object they originate from. The high relativistic velocity and energy of these astrophysical jets make them important features of the astrophysical landscape, as they can carry large amounts of energy and matter but also accelerate particles to the highest energies known. Studying astrophysical relativistic jets by complementing observations with supercomputer simulations enables understanding of the physical processes that drive these extremely energetic phenomena. It also allows to better understand the role they play in shaping the evolution of vast galaxies and other mysterious astronomical objects. With the help of the supercomputer facilities of the Texas Advanced Computing Center, this project will use an innovative technique to perform large-scale, kinetic plasma three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations of relativistic jets, applicable to the black hole jet environments. In particular, the project will investigate the role of kinetic instabilities to understand the important acceleration mechanism, shocks and magnetic reconnection, in simulated cylindrical jets with helical magnetic fields. This study will advance our knowledge of these highly energetic phenomena, which cannot currently be investigated using the traditional single-fluid relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. By performing a study of high energy particle acceleration mechanisms within electromagnetically observed sources, this project addresses goals of NSF's "Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics" program.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.