Computational Physics and Methods
Performing innovative simulations of physics phenomena on tomorrow's scientific computing platforms
Growth and emissivity of young galaxy...
...hosting a supermassive black hole as calculated in cosmological code ENZO and post-processed with radiative transfer code AURORA. 
Turbulence imaging: the largest turbulence simulations to date
Advanced multi-scale modeling
Turbulence datasets
Density iso-surfaces in buoyancy-driven, variable density turbulence 
Vorticity fields
Buoyancy-driven, variable-density turbulence
Development and deployment of advanced methods on the latest high-performance computing platforms, including heterogeneous architectures
Computational Physics and Methods (CCS-2) technical staff collaborate on multidisciplinary teams composed of engineers, physicists, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists, covering application areas that include neutron and radiation transport, shock hydrodynamics, multiphase fluid dynamics, turbulent mixing, ocean dynamics for climate modeling, astrophysics, and plasma physics.
People
Staff
- Samantha Barela
- Peter Brady
- Kent Budge
- Giacomo Capodaglio
- Jae Chang
- Mathew Cleveland
- Darin Comeau
- Jon Dahl
- Erin Davis
- Sumner Dean
- Derek DeSantis
- Joshua Dolence
- Scott Elliott
- Christopher Fryer
- Jeffrey Haack
- Nathan Hart
- Nicole Jeffery
- Zechariah Jibben
- Hyun Lim
- Jonas Lippuner
- Daniel Livescu
- Nicole Lloyd-Ronning
- Alex Long
- Kendra Long
- Robert Lowrie
- Thomas Masser
- Anya Matsekh
- Jonah Miller
- Arvind Mohan
- Balasubramanya (Balu) Nadiga
- Mario Ortega
- Aditya Pandare
- Mark Petersen
- Bobby Philip
- Luke Roberts
- Benjamin Ryan
- Irina Sagert
- Thomas Saller
- Humberto Godinez Vazquez
- James Warsa
- Wilbert Weijer
- Ryan Wollaeger
Postdocs
- Rupsa Bhowmick
- Sidharta Bishnu
- Robert Chiodi
- Joseph Coale
- Soumi De
- Carl Fields
- Cale Harnish
- Samuel Olivier
- Benjamin Prather
- Andres Yague-Lopez
- Xiaoming Sun
Long-term Students
- Kyle Beling
- Shane Coffing
- Lailani Kenoly
- Janiris Rodriguez
Emeriti
- Randal Baker
- Neil Carlson
- Gary Dilts
- John Grove
- Michael Hall
- Matthew Hecht
- Bruce Wienke (1940-2020)
Capabilities
- Advanced transport methods for particles and thermal radiation
- Radiation hydrodynamics simulation tools at scale on advanced architectures
- Compressible and incompressible fluid simulation tools in support of industrial applications
- Scientific excellence in support of global and regional climate needs
- National level leadership in Theoretical Astrophysics
- Advanced multi-scale modeling for plasma and warm dense matter
Research
- Advanced incompressible and compressible flow solvers including multi-phase fields and solidification dynamics for industrial applications
- Advanced numerical advection and fluid-solid coupling schemes in support of the climate modeling
- Astrophysics in planet formation and supernova
- Direct numerical simulation for complex turbulent flows
- High-fidelity techniques necessary to deliver verified and validated numerical solutions for important LANL programmatic simulation tools
- Modern software practices, including formal verification and validation and the use of rapid prototyping tools
- Multi-scale agent based modeling e.g., epidemiology of pandemics
- Numerical transport methods for real physical systems at large scale on advanced and emerging architectures
Customers
- Global security programs
- DOE Office of Nuclear Energy
- DOE Office of Science climate program
- Numerous other research and applied projects
Applications
- Advanced theory and modeling of multi-phase fluid flow in support of the nuclear energy mission
- Packages for use in Advanced Strategic Computing codes
- Theory and modeling of dense plasmas in ICF and astrophysics environments
- Theory and modeling of astrophysics in support of NASA missions
- Modeling of casting and advanced manufacturing methods involving incompressible flow and solidification
- Modeling for subterranean fluid flow in support of environmental stewardship and advanced fossil flue extraction techniques
- Numerical radiation transport methods
- U.S. Weapons Program
Teams
- Fluid Dynamics
- HiLAT
- Nambe
- Theoretical Astrophysics
Research Highlights
- High-order two-fluid plasma solver for direct numerical simulations of plasma flows with full transport phenomena
- Improved Monte Carlo modeling of radiation transport through stochastic media
- Numerical Study of Variable Density Turbulence Interaction with a Normal Shock Wave
- Parallel IMC and Simple Load Balancing with the Data Server Model
- All Research Highlights
Resources
Videos
Turbulence and Mix in Extreme Environments
SC15 Award: Best Scientific Visualization & Data Analytics Showcase
Brandon Wiggins TEDxLANL: "The Biggest Explosions in the Universe"
Transport coefficients: hydrodynamic corrections from kinetic theory
- Part I: Introduction (54:33)
- Part 2: Single Species (1:08:01)
- Part 3: Multi-species (58:27)
