Modern computation generates data -- lots and lots of data. Obtaining scientific knowledge from the results requires synthesizing vast datasets into fundamental understanding. A single image is unrivaled in its ability to produce not only insight but also beauty, revealing as a distillate what otherwise remains impenetrably hidden: 'a picture is worth a thousand terabytes.'

In visualization many aesthetic choices must be made. While an image from a computer simulation or a vast dataset can be functional, it can also be aesthetic. Astrophysics is a discipline rich in natural beauty, from planets and stars to galaxies and the large-scale structure of the Universe.

This project is dedicated to the most arresting, most captivating, and most pioneering visualization efforts in computational astrophysics. The hope is to inspire and motivate work beyond the functional, and to capture the evolving language of design within the context of our humble corner of space.

Have a suggestion or an amazing example? Suggestions are always welcome.

Dylan Nelson

advective-reactive nucleosynthesis

Convective-reactive i-process nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in a rapidly accreting white dwarf (WD). In general, convective zones within the interior of stars modify their evolution and modulate nuclear reactions. Here, hydrogen is ingested into a helium burning convective shell, which triggers a nuclear carbon reaction and produces neutron densities sufficiently high to promote i-process nucleosynthesis. Visualizations show the fractional volume of the material in the stable layer, at a time 500 minutes after the start of the simulation.

Methods: PPMstar code

date added Jan. 30, 2020

categories 3d, stellar

author David Stephens

origin arXiv 2001.10969