THESAN
The THESAN project is a suite of large-volume cosmological radiation-magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of the Epoch of Reionization. The design strategy was tailored to enable unprecedented studies of both cosmic reionization and galaxy formation processes at the same time. This is achieved by combining the successful IllustrisTNG galaxy simulation framework with self-consistent radiation transport, non-equilibrium heating and cooling, realistic ionizing sources including binary stellar systems and active galactic nuclei, as well as a model for cosmic dust creation, evolution, and destruction. The simulations employ the state-of-the-art Arepo-RT moving mesh hydrodynamics code and were run on some of the largest supercomputers in the world.
SMUGGLE
SMUGGLE (Stars and MUltiphase Gas in GaLaxiEs) is a new galaxy formation model that aims to incorporate a multiphase interstellar medium (ISM). Previous simulation studies, like the hugely successful IllustrisTNG, included a sub-resolution model for the gas in the ISM, ensuring that it was modeled as a uniform phase fluid at relatively high temperatures. SMUGGLE includes prescriptions for molecular hydrogen, star formation, and stellar feedback, that are all designed to self-consistently model the cold ISM and its evolution.
When coupled to the Arepo-RT code, SMUGGLE forms a core part of the upcoming projects within the group for studying the formation of galaxies in the early universe during the epoch of reionization.
IllustrisTNG
The IllustrisTNG project is an ongoing series of large, cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation. TNG aims to illuminate the physical processes that drive galaxy formation: to understand when and how galaxies evolve into the structures that are observed in the night sky, and to make predictions for current and future observational programs. The simulations use a state of the art numerical code which includes a comprehensive physical model and runs on some of the largest supercomputers in the world. TNG is a successor to the original Illustris simulation and builds on several years of effort by many people. The project description page contains an introduction to the motivations, techniques, and early science results of the TNG simulations. The project includes three primary runs spanning a range of volume and resolution; these are called TNG50, TNG100, and TNG300.
Alternative Dark Matter
The group has significant interests in alternative dark matter models, be those explicitly self-interacting or those with cut-offs in the power spectrum (e.g. warm dark matter) through the ETHOS and (during the epoch of reionization) THESAN-HR projects.
