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P. Cerdá-Durán

Publications and source records attributed to P. Cerdá-Durán.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Termination of the MRI via parasitic instabilities in core-collapse supernovae: influence of numerical methods

We study the influence of numerical methods and grid resolution on the termination of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) by means of parasitic instabilities in three-dimensional shearing-disc simulations reproducing typical conditions found in core-collapse supernovae. Whether or not the MRI is able to amplify weak magnetic fields in this context strongly depends, among other factors, on the amplitude at which its growth terminates. The qualitative results of our study do not depend on the numerical scheme. In all our models, MRI termination is caused by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, consistent with theoretical predictions. Quantitatively, however, there are differences, but numerical convergence can be achieved even at relatively low grid resolutions if high-order reconstruction methods are used.

astro-ph.SR↗

Scheduled Relaxation Jacobi method: improvements and applications

Elliptic partial differential equations (ePDEs) appear in a wide variety of areas of mathematics, physics and engineering. Typically, ePDEs must be solved numerically, which sets an ever growing demand for efficient and highly parallel algorithms to tackle their computational solution. The Scheduled Relaxation Jacobi (SRJ) is a promising class of methods, atypical for combining simplicity and efficiency, that has been recently introduced for solving linear Poisson-like ePDEs. The SRJ methodology relies on computing the appropriate parameters of a multilevel approach with the goal of minimizing the number of iterations needed to cut down the residuals below specified tolerances. The efficiency in the reduction of the residual increases with the number of levels employed in the algorithm. Applying the original methodology to compute the algorithm parameters with more than 5 levels notably hinders obtaining optimal SRJ schemes, as the mixed (non-linear) algebraic-differential equations from which they result become notably stiff. Here we present a new methodology for obtaining the parameters of SRJ schemes that overcomes the limitations of the original algorithm and provide parameters for SRJ schemes with up to 15 levels and resolutions of up to $2^{15}$ points per dimension, allowing for acceleration factors larger than several hundreds with respect to the Jacobi method for typical resolutions and, in some high resolution cases, close to 1000. Furthermore, we extend the original algorithm to apply it to certain systems of non-linear ePDEs.

math.NA↗

General Relativistic Simulations of the Collapsar Scenario

We are exploring the viability of the collapsar model for long-soft gamma-ray bursts. For this we perform state-of-the-art general relativistic hydrodynamic simulations in a dynamically evolving space-time with the CoCoNuT code. We start from massive low metallicity stellar models evolved up to core gravitational instability, and then follow the subsequent evolution until the system collapses forming a compact remnant. A preliminary study of the collapse outcome is performed by varying the typical parameters of the scenario, such as the initial stellar mass, metallicity, and rotational profile of the stellar progenitor. 1D models (without rotation) have been used to test our newly developed neutrino leakage scheme. This is a fundamental piece of our approach as it allows the central remnant (in all cases considered, a metastable high-mass neutron star) to cool down, eventually collapsing to a black hole. In two dimensions, we show that sufficiently fast rotating cores lead to the formation of Kerr black holes, due to the fall-back of matter surrounding the compact remnant, which has not been successfully unbounded by a precedent supernova shock.

astro-ph.HE↗

General relativistic simulations of pasive-magneto-rotational core collapse with microphysics

This paper presents results from axisymmetric simulations of magneto-rotational stellar core collapse to neutron stars in general relativity using the passive field approximation for the magnetic field. These simulations are performed using a new general relativistic numerical code specifically designed to study this astrophysical scenario. The code is based on the conformally-flat approximation of Einstein's field equations and conservative formulations of the magneto-hydrodynamics equations. The code has been recently upgraded to incorporate a tabulated, microphysical equation of state and an approximate deleptonization scheme. This allows us to perform the most realistic simulations of magneto-rotational core collapse to date, which are compared with simulations employing a simplified (hybrid) equation of state, widely used in the relativistic core collapse community. Furthermore, state-of-the-art (unmagnetized) initial models from stellar evolution are used. In general, stellar evolution models predict weak magnetic fields in the progenitors, which justifies our simplification of performing the computations under the approach that we call the passive field approximation for the magnetic field. Our results show that for the core collapse models with microphysics the saturation of the magnetic field cannot be reached within dynamical time scales by winding up the poloidal magnetic field into a toroidal one. We estimate the effect of other amplification mechanisms including the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) and several types of dynamos.

astro-ph↗

Towards relativistic simulations of magneto-rotational core collapse

We present a new general relativistic hydrodynamics code specifically designed to study magneto-rotational, relativistic, stellar core collapse. The code is an extension of an existing (and thoroughly tested) hydrodynamics code, which has been applied in the recent past to study relativistic rotational core collapse. It is based on the conformally-flat approximation of Einstein's field equations and conservative formulations for the magneto-hydrodynamics equations. As a first step towards magneto-rotational core collapse simulations the code assumes a passive (test) magnetic field. The paper is focused on the description of the technical details of the numerical implementation, with emphasis on the magnetic field module. A number of code tests are presented and discussed, along with a representative core collapse simulation.

astro-ph↗

CMB maps lensed by cosmological structures: Simulations and statistical analysis

A method for ray-tracing through n-body simulations has been recently proposed. It is based on a periodic universe covered by simulation boxes. Photons move along appropriate directions to avoid periodicity effects. Here, an improved version of this method is applied to simulate lensed CMB maps and maps of lens deformations. Particle mesh n-body simulations with appropriate boxes and resolutions are used to evolve the nonlinear inhomogeneities until present time. The resulting maps are statistically analyzed to look for deviations from Gaussianity. These deviations are measured --for the first time-- using correlations for configurations of n directions (n being smaller than 7). A wide range of angular scales are considered. Some interesting prospects are outlined.

astro-ph↗

Non-Gaussian Signatures in the Lens Deformations of the CMB Sky. A New Ray-Tracing Procedure

We work in the framework of an inflationary cold dark matter universe with cosmological constant, in which the cosmological inhomogeneities are considered as gravitational lenses for the CMB photons. This lensing deforms the angular distribution of the CMB maps in such a way that the induced deformations are not Gaussian. Our main goal is the estimation of the deviations with respect to Gaussianity appeared in the distribution of deformations. In the new approach used in this paper, matter is evolved with a particle-mesh N-body code and, then, an useful ray-tracing technique designed to calculate the correlations of the lens deformations induced by nonlinear structures is applied. Our approach is described in detail and tested. Various correlations are estimated at an appropriate angular scale. The resulting values point out both deviations with respect to Gaussian statistics and a low level of correlation in the lens deformations.

astro-ph↗