Category Archives: Research

I’ve had some ideas kicking around my head regarding how to efficiently pack objects of various sizes into a volume. I decided to finally try writing an algorithm that would randomly insert objects picked from a size distribution profile, and … Continue reading →

There is a huge library of work on the subject of sphere packing, some of which is very relevant to SPH, most of which is not (mainly because SPH particles are not hard spheres), and the state of the art for … Continue reading →

It’s been known for some time now that the Moon formed out of a cataclysmic collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized planet called Theia. What remains unsolved is just how the Moon ended up with so much of Earth’s granite. … Continue reading →

Merely placing two compact objects near each other in orbit is not the appropriate way to design initial conditions. In nature, these two stars have felt each other’s gravitational pull for quite some time before the last few orbits (where … Continue reading →

Going to submit a paper in the near term that establishes a new mechanism for producing certain absorption features found in SNeIa. If correct, it can place some very good constraints on white dwarf merger parameters.

Case in point, here’s an image of one of the white dwarf merger simulations I’m performing. This simulation features the largest mass disparity I’ve yet attempted, and should make for an interesting supernova.

Dan and I have been working on a new project to possibly explain ultra-bright SNeIa without the need for a superchandra white dwarf. That is, these supernovae might only be bright due to the interaction of the explosion with a … Continue reading →