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Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche FakultätAstrophysik I.Physik

Theoretical Astrophysics group Cologne - TAC

Our research deals with the numerical modelling of the star formation process by means of high-performance, 3D, magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) simulations. The simulations cover large spatial scales from ISM physics on kpc scales over molecular clouds on scales of 10 - 100 pc to star forming filaments on (sub-) pc scales and finally to protostellar discs and jets on scales of 10 - 1000 AU.

In our research group we use several tools like the (M)HD codes FLASH, GADGET, GANDALF, the astrochemical code KROME, 3D-PDR or radiative transport codes like RADMC-3D and POLARIS.

Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner is the head of the SILCC project (SImulating the life Cyle of molecular Clouds), a collaboration of several European astrophysical institutes, which has set the aim to model the formation, evolution, and dispersal of molecular clouds in 3D, MHD simulations with particular focus on a detailed astro-chemical modelling and the inclusion of various feedback processes.

Contact information:

  • Phone: (+49|0) 221 / 470 - 3497
  • Fax: (+49|0) 221 / 470 - 5162
  • Email: walch [at] ph1.uni-koeln.de

Consultation hours

upon agreement in Room 1.14, Building 312 

Monthly Highlight

Molecular cloud formation: Impact of metallicity, far-UV and CR heating using SILCC-Zoom simulations

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  • Figure 1) Mass-weighted visual extinction projection maps for all simulations with contour plots at Av = 1, 3, Av, H2 where Av, H2 is the visual extinction at which gas is at least 50% molecular. Simulations: 0.5 Z⊙–S (top-left), 0.5 Z⊙–A (top-right), 1.0 Z⊙–S (bottom-left) and 1.0 Z⊙–A (bottom-right).
  • Figure 2) Visual extinction, Av,3D, as a function of number density, n, for different simulations. The blue and brown dashed lines indicate theoretical power-law relations from Hu et al. 2021. The best-fit line from Bisbas et al. 2023 is added for comparison with our simulations.