The numerical simulations associated with the interaction of High Velocity Clouds (HVC) with the Magnetized Galactic Interstellar Medium (ISM) are a powerful tool to describe the evolution of the interaction of these objects in our Galaxy. In this work we present a new project referred to as Theoretical Virtual i Observatories. It is oriented toward to perform numerical simulations in real time through a Web page. This is a powerful astrophysical computational tool that consists of an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) and a database produced by numerical calculations. In this Website the user can make use of the existing numerical simulations from the database or run a new simulation introducing initial conditions such as temperatures, densities, velocities, and magnetic field intensities for both the ISM and HVC. The prototype is programmed using Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP), based on the open source philosophy. All simulations were performed with the MHD code ZEUS-3D, which solves the ideal MHD equations by finite differences on a fixed Eulerian mesh. Finally, we present typical results that can be obtained with this tool.

From the HCN observations of dense molecular cloud L694-2, Lee et al.(2007) determined internal distributions of density and velocity for the cloud. The density profile collaborates roughly with the Bonnor- Ebert gas sphere, but the velocity field departs significantly from the result of numerical simulations that are started from the BE sphere. Taking L694-2 as an example of collapsing clouds, we have performed a series of collapse simulations and determined initial configurations for the cloud in such a way that the resulting density and velocity profiles both match with the empirically deduced ones. Among many trial configurations the cloud which is initially uniform in density and bound by an expanding envelop depicts most closely the empirically obtained profiles of both density and velocity.

A high performance computing cluster for astronomical computations has been built at Korea Astronomy Observatory. The 64 node cluster interconnected with Gigabit Ethernet is composed of 128 Intel Xeon processors, 160 GB memory, 6 TB global storage space, and an LTO (Linear Tape-Open) tape library. The cluster was installed and has been managed with the Open Source Cluster Application Resource (OSCAR) framework. Its performance for parallel computations was measured with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic code and showed quite a good scalability as the number of computational cells increases. The cluster has already been utilized for several computational research projects, some of which resulted in a few publications, even though its full operation time is less than one year. As a major resource of the K∗Grid testbed, the cluster has been used for Grid computations, too.

Here we present a linear stability analysis and an MHD 2D model for the Parker-Jeans instability in the Galactic gaseous disk. The magnetic field is assumed parallel to a Galactic spiral arm, and the gaseous disk is modelled as a multi-component, magnetized, and isothermal gas layer. The model employs the observed vertical stratifications for the gas density and the gravitational acceleration in the Solar neighborhood, and the self-gravity of the gas is also included. By solving Poisson's equation for the gas density stratification, we determine the vertical acceleration due to self-gravity as a function of z. Subtracting it from the observed gravitational acceleration, we separate the total acceleration into self and external gravities. The linear stability analysis provides the corresponding dispersion relations. The time and length scales of the fastest growing mode of the Parker-Jeans instability are about 40 Myr and 3.3 kpc, respectively. In order to confirm the linear stability analysis, we have performed two-dimensional MHD simulations. These show that the Parker-Jeans instability under the self and external gravities evolves into a quasi-equilibrium state, creating condensations on the northern and southern sides of the plane, in an alternate manner.

We perform numerical experiments on supernova-driven turbulent flows in order to see whether or not supernovae playa major role in driving turbulence in the interstellar medium. In a (200pc)3 computational box, we set up, as initial conditions, uniformly magnetized gas distributions with different pairs of hydrogen number densities and magnetic field strengths, which cover the observed values in the Galactic midplane. We then explode supernovae at randomly chosen positions at a Galactic explosion rate and follow up the evolution of the supernova-driven turbulent flows by integrating numerically the ideal MHD equations with cooling and heating terms. From the numerical experiments we find that the density-weighted velocity dispersions of the flows are in the range of 5-10 km s-l, which are consistent with the observed velocity dispersions of cold and warm neutral media. Additionally, we find that strong compressible flows driven by supernova explosions quickly change into solenoidal flows.

High-velocity clouds are flows of neutral hydrogen, located at high galactic latitudes, with large velocities ([VLSR]≥ 100 km/s) that do not match a simple model of circular rotation for our Galaxy. Numerical simulations have been performed for the last 20 years to study the details of their evolution, and their possible interaction with the Galactic disk. Here we present a brief review of the models that have been already published, and describe newly performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations.

Here were continue the MHD study started by Santillan et al (1999) for the interaction of high-velocity clouds (HVCs) with the magnetized thick gaseous disk of our Galaxy. We use the MHD code ZEUS-3D and perform 3D-numerical simulations of this interaction, and study the formation of head-tail structures in HVCs. Our results show that clouds located above 2 kpc from mindplane present velocity and column density gradients with a cometary structure that is similar to those observed in 21 cm emission

We study the properties of supernova (SN) driven interstellar turbulence with a numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model. Calculations were done using the RIEMANN framework for MHD, which is highly suited for astrophysical flows because it tracks shocks using a Riemann solver and ensures pressure positivity and a divergence-free magnetic field. We start our simulations with a uniform density threaded by a uniform magnetic field. A simplified radiative cooling curve and a constant heating rate are also included. In this radiatively-cooling magnetized medium, we explode SNe one at a time at randomly chosen positions with SN explosion rates equal to and 12 times higher than the Galactic value. The evolution of the system is basically determined by the input energy of SN explosions and the output energy of radiative cooling. We follow the simulations to the point where the total energy of the system, as well as thermal, kinetic, and magnetic energy individually, has reached a quasi-stationary value. From the numerical experiments, we find that: i) both thermal and dynamical processes are important in determining the phases of the interstellar medium, and ii) the power index n of the B-p n relation is consistent with observed values.

Compressible, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in two dimension is studied through high-resolution, numerical simulations with the isothermal equation of state. First, hydrodynamic turbulence with Mach number (M)rms ~ 1 is generated by enforcing a random force. Next, initial, uniform magnetic field of various strengths with Alfvenic Mach number Ma ≫ 1 is added. Then, the simulations are followed until MHD turbulence is fully developed. Such turbulence is expected to exist in a variety of astrophysical environments including clusters of galaxies. Although no dissipation is included explicitly in our simulations, truncation errors produce dissipation which induces numerical resistivity. It mimics a hyper-resistivity in our second-order accurate code. After saturation, the resulting flows are categorized as SF (strong field), WF (weak field), and VWF (very weak field) classes respectively, depending on the average magnetic field strength described with Alfvenic Mach number, (Ma)rms ~1, (Ma)rms≥1, and (Ma)rms ≫ 1. The characteristics of each class are discussed.

We have studied the nonlinear evolution of a magnetized disk of isothermal gas, which is sustained by its self-gravity. Our objective is to investigate how the Jeans, Parker, and convective instabilities compete with each other in structuring/de-structuring large scale condensations in such disk. The Poisson equation for the self-gravity has been solved with a fourth-order accurate Fourier method along with the Green function, and the MHD part has been handled by an isothermal TVD code. When large wavelength perturbations are applied, the combined action of the Jeans and Parker instabilities suppresses the development of the convection and forms a dense core of prolate shape in the mid-plane. Peripheral structures around it are filamentary. The low density filaments connect the dense core to the diffuse upper region. On the other hand, when small wavelength perturbations are applied, the disk develops into an equilibrium state which is reminiscent of the Mouschovias's 2-D non-linear equilibrium of the classical Parker instability under an externally given gravity.

As a companion to an adiabatic version developed by Ryu and his coworkers, we have built an isothermal magnetohydrodynamic code for astrophysical flows. It is suited for the dynamical simulations of flows where cooling timescale is much shorter than dynamical timescale, as well as for turbulence and dynamo simulations in which detailed energetics are unimportant. Since a simple isothermal equation of state substitutes the energy conservation equation, the numerical schemes for isothermal flows are simpler (no contact discontinuity) than those for adiabatic flows and the resulting code is faster. Tests for shock tubes and Alfven wave decay have shown that our isothermal code has not only a good shock capturing ability, but also numerical dissipation smaller than its adiabatic analogue. As a real astrophysical application of the code, we have simulated the nonlinear three-dimensional evolution of the Parker instability. A factor of two enhancement in vertical column density has been achieved at most, and the main structures formed are sheet-like and aligned with the mean field direction. We conclude that the Parker instability alone is not a viable formation mechanism of the giant molecular clouds.