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"Computational
Astrophysics"
July 13 - July 24, 2009
2009 Program
Prospects
in Theoretical Physics 2009 (PiTP 2009) was intended for graduate
students and postdoctoral fellows working in computational
astrophysics. The
goal was for young researchers to hone the numerical methods they
employ
in
their own research and to learn about the techniques used in other
areas of
computational astrophysics. The lectures covered numerical methods
used in
cosmology, general relativity, hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics
(both
grid-based and particle-based), long-term orbit integrations, N-body
dynamics (both collisionless and rigid-body), and radiation
hydrodynamics, as well as computing with GPUs.
PiTP 2009
was organized more like a workshop than a school, and active
student
participation was expected. The format consisted of two
90-minute lectures in the morning and tutorials,
homework, discussion sessions and the occasional lecture
in the afternoon. Students were expected to
carry out most of the computational
work that was required on their personal laptops.
The Scientific Organizers of
PiTP 2009 were: Scott
Tremaine (Institute for Advanced Study), Jim Stone
(Princeton University) and Peter Teuben (University of Maryland).
Lecturers
for PiTP 2009 included: Organizers Scott Tremaine and Jim Stone (see above), as
well as Kevin Bowers (Los Alamos National Laboratory and D.E. Shaw Research), William Dorland (University of Maryland), Brian Kernighan (Princeton University), Michael Norman (University of California at San Diego), Frans
Pretorius (Princeton University), Derek
Richardson (University of Maryland), Anatoly
Spitkovsky (Princeton University), and Volker
Springel (Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics).
Background on PiTP
Prospects in Theoretical
Physics is an intensive two-week summer program designed for graduate
students and postdoctoral scholars considering a career in theoretical
physics. First held by the School of Natural Sciences at the
Institute for Advanced Study in the summer of 2002, the PiTP program is
designed to provide lecture courses and informal sessions on the latest
advances and open questions in various areas of theoretical physics.
One of the goals of the
program is to help the physics community train the next generation of
scholars in theoretical physics. A special effort is made to
reach out to women and minorities, as well as to graduate students in
small universities who typically do not have the same opportunities and
access to leaders in the field as graduate students in large research
institutions.
Prospects in Theoretical
Physics builds on the strong relationship of the research groups at the
Institute and Princeton University, and many faculty members from the
physics departments at both institutions are actively involved in the
program together with scientists from neighboring
institutions.
Additional Program History: 2002 - 2008
The
pilot program in the
summer of 2002 was an introduction to string theory tailored to
graduate students entering the field, where much attention was paid
also to particle phenomenology and cosmology. PiTP 2003 was
devoted to the problems and techniques at the interface of particle
physics and cosmology. PiTP 2004 was a program for advanced
graduate students in string theory, while PiTP 2005 was designed to
provide an introduction to collider physics. The
2006 Program covered recent
advances in string theory that have found applications to gauge
theories, integrable models, cosmology and mathematics. The
PiTP
2007 Program - "The Standard Model and Beyond" - focused on particle
physics phenomenology with special
emphasis on model building. In 2008 the program - entitled "Strings and
Phenomenology" - was designed for string theorists who wanted
to
learn about
issues of compactification relevant to phenomenology and cosmology, and
for phenomenologists who wanted to learn about strings and their
applications to phenomenology.
For further information about
the PiTP program,
please contact Susan Higgins, (609) 734-8198; e-mail: shiggins@ias.edu
2009 PROGRAM LECTURE VIDEOS 2009 PROGRAM PHOTOS 2009 FINAL PROGRAM SCHEDULE 2009 TWIKI PAGES
- containing preparatory reading for the lectures
& information to help you download and install the software to
be used in the program 2009 PARTICIPANT INFORMATION (posted 6-30-09)
Hints for those Applying for U.S. Visa 2009 Application Form (no longer available on this web site)
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