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Probing Cosmic Mysteries by Supercomputer

1996; AIP Publishing; Volume: 49; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1063/1.881523

1945-0699

Michael L. Norman,

Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Astrophysicists have had a love affair with big computers since the dawn of the digital era. Although it is unlikely that the 1946 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was ever used for astrophysical calculations, Princeton University astronomer Martin Schwarzschild made extensive use of the follow-on MANIAC computer at the Los Alamos laboratory for his pioneering calculations of stellar evolution. Since World War II, simulating the inner workings of nuclear weapons has been one of the key applications driving the development of supercomputer technology. Because many of the same physical processes operate in stars and nebulae as in hydrogen bombs, supercomputers designed with defense needs in mind have been ideally suited to computational astrophysics research. Until the mid-1980s, however, access to supercomputers was limited to a small cadre of researchers at defense laboratories or at a few specialized academic institutions.