This research project, on how multiple thermal phases affect the turbulent cascade in the interstellar medium (ISM), exploits the potential of adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) techniques for simulating supersonic turbulent flows. High-resolution, three-dimensional numerical simulations with AMR are expected to give more reliable and comprehensive answers to some outstanding questions: How are thermal, magnetic, and gravitational effects coupled in the turbulent multiphase interstellar medium? What are the nature and manifestations of this coupling? How does turbulence in the multiphase ISM regulate the rate of star formation, and how does star-formation feedback force interstellar turbulence? Models that include magnetic fields, radiation transport, non-equilibrium chemistry, radiative cooling and heating, and thermal conduction, will be examined systematically and validated against observational data, both from the ground and from space. These simulations will determine the statistical characteristics of turbulent flows, the parameters for fractal gas density distributions, and the structural and dynamical properties of self-gravitating protostellar cores. This project will characterize the properties and signatures of turbulence in a multiphase ISM over a large dynamic range.
Student training is an integral part of this research, but the main impact will come from the availability of the modified Enzo program, as well as raw and reprocessed simulation data, and other tutorial materials. The researchers also collaborate with Sun Microsystems, Inc. in advancing the scalability and portability of the Enzo code.
