CAREER: A Novel and Fast Open-Source Code for Global Simulation of Stratified Convection and Magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical: The goal of this project is to create a unique capability for predicting density-stratified magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun. This research is expected to lay a foundation for developing methods for predicting extreme space weather, e.g. the event of a "super solar flare" followed by an extreme geomagnetic storm. Scientific results of this research can help resolve several contradictory predictions from previous studies of the solar convection zone. The Principal Investigator (PI) will develop and disseminate a powerful open-source software package to the space weather and solar physics communities. The success of predicting severe space weather events has significant societal and economic impacts. PI will design high-order accurate computational algorithms suitable for exascale simulations that can perform a billion billion calculations per second. This software will run on massively parallel distributed-memory computers to predict coupled global and local dynamics of the sun. PI will reach out to K-12 students and demonstrate that science of the sun and high-performance computing are exciting and important to society. Furthermore, PI will leverage outreach efforts with the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and other research centers. This project, thus, serves the national interest as stated by NSF's mission: to promote the progress of science and to advance the national welfare. Technical: The goal of this research program is to develop a novel, fully compressible model and an open-source community code for global simulations of the solar convection zone that includes the top near surface shear layer of the Sun. Current leading global simulations use an elastic approximation whose computational domains extend from the base of the solar convection zone and must stop at about 0.96 solar radius, stopping short of the top near surface shear layer where Mach number could reach unity. This research program will create a powerful open-source community code CHORUS++ to simulate magnetohydrodynamics of the solar convection zone. CHORUS stands for Compressible High-ORder Unstructured-grid Spectral difference code which has been co-developed by the PI for hydrodynamics of the solar convection zone. CHORUS++ will be equipped with variable mesh resolution capability to focus on targeted regions of interests. A fast local time-stepping algorithm will be designed and equipped for CHORUS++ for long-period time integration on massively parallel computers. These technical accomplishments can accelerate the original CHORUS code by a factor over 100. The PI will conduct a series of global simulations of magnetohydrodynamics of the solar convection zone with unprecedented resolutions for predicting the differential rotation, meridional circulation, giant cells, and super-granulation of the sun.