CDM

As the lab name implies, our group seeks to understand the evolution of gravitating systems at various scales – from star clusters to galaxies to large-scale structure of the universe as a whole, and we tackle these problems both through analytical methods and through numerical simulations with the help of computational technologies.

At smaller scales, our particular focus is on numerical simulations of star clusters, especially those found in active galactic nuclei – the topic of our old-established collaboration with colleagues from Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (Heidelberg) and National Astronomical Observatories of China (Beijing). In 2013 we had hosted the MODEST-13 International Workshop dedicated to modeling star clusters.

At larger scales, the dominant factors in the evolution of gravitating systems are dark matter and dark energy, so we are interested in the origin and nature of this invisible stuff that makes up 95% of the universe. As well known, despite its great success in matching many astronomical observations, the standard cosmological ΛCDM-model still lacks firm experimental evidence for the existence of its underlying particles such as WIMPs. Therefore, alongside with the research within the ΛCDM cosmology, we also try to develop alternative models employing only experimentally known particles and fields.

For numerical calculations, the group has a small computer cluster consisting of several high-performance computing servers equipped with computational PCI cards.

FAI Cluster 2022
Computing Cluster at FAI