SDL Astronomy and Astrophysics

Prof. Dr. Susanne Pfalzner

Head of SDL Astronomy and Astrophysics PI in Helmholtz Information Program 1, Topic 1

  • Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS)
  • Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC)
Building 16.4 /
Room 319
+49 2461/61-85420
E-Mail

The Sim Data Lab Astronomy and Astrophysics is a targeted research and support structure that provides an interface between the Supercomputer facilities in Jülich and the Astrophysics research communities.

Within the Program-oriented Funding (PoF IV) of Helmholtz Information, this group contributes to Program 1 “Engineering Digital Futures”, Topic 1 “Enabling Computational- & Data-Intensive Science and Engineering”.

Purpose

Our tasks include the support of Data Science Projects and High Performance Computing Simulations for the Astrophysics Community. We support users in their research by

  • advising code choices for their scientific applications,
  • supporting the development and application of scalable methods,
  • development of an integrated application infrastructure for high performance computational astrophysics (HPCA),
  • supporting the development of data analysis tools,
  • initiation of collaborative projects for advancing high performance computational astrophysics and data science,
  • visualization of the obtained results

In addition, we host repositories of commonly used codes and data bases and offer workshops in above mentioned areas.

Research Topics

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Solar system formation

There are a number of indications that the Solar system formed in a massive cluster. The cut-off radius of the planetary system at 30 AU and the high eccentricity of the trans neptunian objects indicate that the solar system likely had an encounter with another star during its formation phase. We investigate how these solar system properties constrain the actual fly-by parameters and the properties of its birth cluster.

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Oumuamuas

The discovery of 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov confirmed that planetesimals must exist in great numbers in interstellar space. Originally generated during planet formation, they are scattered from their original systems and subsequently drift through interstellar space. We investigate what consequences the existence of such objects might have.

a

Young cluster development

Most stars do not form in isolation but as part of a stellar group consisting of a few dozen to several million stars with stellar densities ranging from 0.01 to several 100 M⊙ pc-3. Our research shows that clustered star formation works under surprisingly tight constraints with respect to cluster size and density.

Projects and Collaborations

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PUNCH4NFDI

The prime goal of PUNCH4NFDI is the setup of a federated and "FAIR" science data platform, offering the infrastructures and interfaces necessary for the access to and use of data and computing resources of the involved communities and beyond.

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B3D

Big Bang to Big Data is an interdisciplinary research, technology, and education alliance for data-intensive radio astronomy. B3D aims to help develop and apply the data science expertise and methodology increasingly needed for astrophysical research.

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SFB 1601

Within the new CRC 1601 entitled “The Cosmic Evolution of the Habitats of Massive Stars” researchers are investigating the physical processes that determine the habitats of massive stars in different galactic environments.

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DYNAVERSE

Dynaverse is a new Cluster of Excellence initiative that brings together researchers from Astrophysics, Computer Science and Mathematics. It is a world-class hub of expertise in radio astronomy, lab-experiments, simulations, and machine learning / artificial intelligence.

Visualization is an important tool for analyzing and understanding simuation data in astronomy and astrophysics. The visualization group at JSC assists users by developing and adapting software tools to meet special needs.

Examples can be seen below.

SDL Astronomy and Astrophysics
Formation of galactic molecular clouds
SDL Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ionization feedback during the birth of a massive star
SDL Astronomy and Astrophysics
Collective outflow from a small stellar cluster

Especially time-dependent effects call for presenting the data in an animation or video. These can be used in presentations, inside websites, presentations or for media purposes. The JSC visualisation team provides hard- and software to capture, edit and publish the content.

Highlights

Last Modified: 19.03.2025
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