The 3D MHD code GOEMHD3 for astrophysical plasmas with large Reynolds numbers Code description, verification, and computational performance

0449435 - ASÚ 2016 RIV FR eng J - Journal Article
Skála, Jan - Baruffa, F. - Rampp, M.
The 3D MHD code GOEMHD3 for astrophysical plasmas with large Reynolds numbers Code description, verification, and computational performance.
Astronomy & Astrophysics. Roč. 580, August (2015), A48-A48. ISSN 0004-6361. E-ISSN 1432-0746
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-24782S
Institutional support: RVO:67985815
Keywords : magnetohydrodynamics * corona * magnetic fields
OECD category: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)
Impact factor: 5.185, year: 2015

Our aims are the implementation, optimization, and verification of a computationally efficient, highly scalable, and easily extensible low-dissipative MHD simulation code for the numerical investigation of the dynamics of astrophysical plasmas with large Reynolds numbers in three dimensions (3D). The ideal part of the equation solver is verified by performing numerical tests of the evolution of the well-understood Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and of Orszag-Tang vortices. The accuracy of solving the (resistive) induction equation is tested by simulating the decay of a cylindrical current column. Furthermore, we show that the computational performance of the code scales very efficiently with the number of processors up to tens of thousands of CPU cores. This excellent scalability of the code was obtained by simulating the 3D evolution of the solar corona above an active region (NOAA AR1249) for which GOEMHD3 revealed the energy distribution in the solar atmosphere in response to the energy influx from the chromosphere through the transition region, taking into account the weak Joule current dissipation and viscosity in the almost dissipationless solar corona.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0251029