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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

Dark matter in the first stars of the universe: evolution and rotation

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  • Figure 1. left, Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram for a 20 M☉ with different density of WIMPs in its surrounding. The stars are the position on the ZAMS of the same 20 M☉ star in the paper of Taoso et al. 2008 where the WIMPs subroutines come from. The difference comes from the improvement in the stellar evolutionary code GENEC (from the Observatoire de Genève). right, The time of the end of the H-burning phase as a function of the WIMPs density.
  • Figure 2. Element abundances during the MS, inside a 20 M☉ star with a WIMPs density of 1 x 1010 GeV/cm3, as a function of the radius of the star and as a function of the time, without rotation left and with an initial rotation of 40% the critical velocity right. Adding the rotation increase even more the lifetime of the star.