Researchers from Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, including Jakub Fišák, Jiří Kubát, Nicolas Moens, and Brankica Kubátová, have developed an advanced computational tool to better understand the complex winds emanating from massive hot stars. These stars significantly influence their galactic environments, and studying their winds is crucial for energy and astrophysics research.
The team has enhanced their Monte Carlo radiative transfer code, named Andy Antares, to handle three-dimensional velocity fields in arbitrary geometries. This advancement is crucial because traditional one-dimensional models fall short in capturing the intricate, non-symmetric nature of stellar winds. The updated code can now incorporate a general velocity field defined at discrete points, allowing for more accurate simulations of radiative transfer in complex hydrodynamic models.
Andy Antares calculates pure radiative transfer using a Cartesian grid, solving the radiative transfer equation in three dimensions regardless of the input hydrodynamic model’s dimension. The velocity field at any given point is interpolated using trilinear interpolation, and the optical depth is integrated numerically along the photon’s path. The researchers verified the accuracy of their numerical velocity interpolation by comparing it with results obtained for analytical velocity fields, achieving successful outcomes. They also tested the radiative transfer solution on a three-dimensional model generated from a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, successfully obtaining emergent radiation.
This research, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, represents a significant step forward in the numerical solution of radiative transfer in three dimensions with arbitrary velocity fields. For the energy sector, understanding the dynamics of massive stars and their winds can provide insights into stellar evolution and the lifecycle of galaxies, which are fundamental to astrophysics and energy research. The improved modeling capabilities offered by Andy Antares can enhance our understanding of stellar processes, contributing to broader scientific and energy-related applications.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.