computational astrophysics

I participated today in a panel at the Simons Foundation about the present and future of computational astrophysics. We talked about challenges in simulating the Universe, the Milky Way, stars, and exoplanets (formation and atmospheres). We also talked about challenges in comparing theory to data, where the theory is computational and the data sets are large. We also talked about the point that sometimes computation can be used to solve fundamental physics and applied math questions. We all agreed that an Advanced-LIGO detection of a gravitational radiation source could have a huge impact on what we all think about. It was a great day, with participation from Bryan (Columbia), Hernquist (Harvard), Ho (CMU), MacFadyen (NYU), Spergel (Princeton), Stone (Princeton), and Quataert (Berkeley) all participating, plus people from the Simons Foundation.