An Improved Method for Coupling Hydrodynamics with Astrophysical Reaction Networks

Abstract Reacting astrophysical flows can be challenging to model, because of the difficulty in accurately coupling hydrodynamics and reactions. This particularly acute during explosive burning or at high temperatures where nuclear statistical equilibrium is established. We develop a new approach, based on ideas spectral deferred corrections (SDC) explicit stiff reaction sources as an alternative operator splitting, that simpler than more comprehensive SDC approach we demonstrated previously. apply method double-detonation problem with moderately sized network explore time step size tolerances, show simplified-SDC provides improved decreased computational expense compared traditional Strang splitting. all done framework Castro code, algorithm implementations are freely available.