Simulating the hydrodynamics of galaxy formation

Not your average dynamics simulation. Scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies have invented a new computational approach for more accurately following the birth and evolution of thousands of galaxies over billions of years. A new software called Arepo, programmed by Volker Springel, uses the computational model for generating animations based on a simulation of the universe, in this case taking as input only the observed afterglow of the Big Bang and evolving forward in time for 14 billion years. Watch the video on YouTube and read the associated papers for more: paper 1–paper 2–paper 3.