U.C. San Diego

PHYSICS 141 Home Page

Computational Physics I (N-Body Simulations)

Winter 2004

Course Information

Professor:

Julius Kuti

Office hours: M 1:30-2:30, or by appointment

Office: 5410 Mayer Hall

Phone: 534-6096

E-mail: jkuti@ucsd.edu

Secretary:

Nicki Pyles

Office: 5414 Mayer Hall

Phone: 534-7142

E-mail: nicki@physics.ucsd.edu

Instructional Accounts Manager:

Sally Witucky

Office: 2113 AP&M

Phone: 534-4061

E-mail: switucky@ucsd.edu

Announcements

(last updated M January 5 8:00 am PDT 2004)

Instructional Accounts and Electronic Doorkey Access

Instructional Computing (Labs, Hours, etc.)

Accounts Office

Handouts and Laboratory Assignment Sets

Course Outline and Lecture Notes

• Introduction
  • Lecture 1 Computer Modeling (1/5/2004)

• Classical Mechanics and the N-Body Problem
  • Lecture 2 Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics (1/7/2004)
  • Lecture 3 Gravitational Potential and N-Body Equations I. (1/12/2004)
  • Lecture 4 Gravitational Potential and N-Body Equations II. (1/14/2004)
  • Lecture 5 Collisionless Dynamics and Boltzman Equation I. (1/21/2004)
  • Lecture 6 Collisionless Dynamics and Boltzman Equation II. - Lecture 5 continued (1/26/2004)

• N-Body Simulations
  • Lecture 7 N-Body Simulation Methods (1/28/2004)
  • Lecture 8 The Individual Time-Step Method and the Aarseth Code (2/2/2004)
  • Lecture 9 Galaxy Modeling I.(2/4/2004)
  • Lecture 10 Galaxy Modeling II.(2/9/2004)
  • Lecture 11 Galaxy Modeling III.(2/11/2004)
  • Lecture 12 The Treecode I. (2/18/2004)
  • Lecture 13 The Treecode II. (2/23/2004)

• The Final Project: Galaxy Collisions
  • Lecture 14 Mergers of Galaxies (Final Project) (2/25/2004)
  • Lecture 15 Discussion of the Final Project (3/1/2004)
  • Lecture 16 Choice of Units and Scales (3/3/2004)

• Introduction to Molecular Dynamics and Review of Class Material
  • Lecture 17 Introduction to Molecular Dynamics (3/8/2004)
  • Lecture 18 Review of Class Material (3/10/2004)

Laboratory Notes

Manuals