Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

Observations of high energy density environments, from supernovae implosions/explosions to inertial confinement fusion, are determined by many different physical effects acting concurrently. For example, one set of equations will describe material motion, while another set will describe the spatial flow of energy. The relevant spatial and temporal scales can vary substantially. Since direct measurement is difficult if not impossible, and the relevant physics happen concurrently, computer simulation becomes an important tool to understand how emergent behavior depends on the constituent laws governing the evolution of the system. Further, computer simulation can provide a means to use observation to constrain underlying physical models. This talk shall examine the challenges associated with developing computational multiphysics simulation. In particular this talk will outline some of the physics, the relevant mathematical models, the associated algorithmic challenges, some of which are driven by emerging compute architectures. The problem as a whole can be formidable and an effective solution couples many disciplines together.