6–10 Aug 2012
AlbaNova University Center
Europe/Stockholm timezone

1st Announcement

Dear Colleague,

The scientific organizing committee of the NORDITA Astrophysics Code Comparison Workshop would like to invite you to a 5-day workshop from August 6th to 10th, 2012, at Stockholm, Sweden.

Owing to their large length scales, most astrophysical objects have very large Reynolds numbers and are indeed observed to be turbulent. Given that laboratory experiments are usually not available and analytical techniques are very limited, numerical simulations become the most valuable tool to study these complicated systems.

The developments and applications of state-of-the-art numerical codes have been driving important advances in all branches of astrophysics. However, as these astrophysical codes become more complex, the barrier to entry rises. As a consequence, students and young researchers often use the codes as "black boxes" without deep understanding of their underlying algorithms. This lack of understanding may ultimately lead to confusion in the field and may even slow down progress in astrophysical research. Even worse, applying algorithms to regimes in which they break down can lead to scientifically false results.

By bringing together renowned experts from around the world, the main goals of the NORDITA Astrophysics Code Comparison Workshop are to 1) provide a suit of clear and simple test cases, 2) clarify existing misunderstandings in the literature, 3) compile a rule-of-thumb list useful to astrophysicists, and 4) find ways to improve existing numerical algorithms.

We are planning to focus on hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, although actual topics may vary depending on the participants. In order to make this mini-workshop useful, we will setup an on-line forum once the registration is closed (June 1, 2012). The participants can start discussing a preliminary set of test problems. The workshop (Aug 6--10, 2012) will consist of morning talks/reports, and afternoon discussion/numerical experiments.

If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please fill and submit the application form located at <http://goo.gl/jDIXy>. The registration deadline is on June 1st, 2012. There is no registration fee. You will be informed by the organizers shortly after the application deadline whether your application has been approved.

For further information, please visit: <http://goo.gl/6dnzu>.

Regards,
Chi-kwan Chan
Workshop Co-organizer