6/15/03: Version 1.0 of StarCrash is publicly available for downloading. It contains all of the routines that make up our code, along with documentation which will help you learn how to use the code and adapt it to your needs. Installation instructions can be found here.

To run the code, you will need to install both MPI and the FFTW libraries, a set of MPI-Parallelized FFT routines which we use to calculate the self-gravity of the matter.

The StarCrash code comes with several important features, including:

• Several routines which construct the initial conditions appropriate to a wide variety of physical systems
• An efficient parallel neighbor-finding algorithm for calculating hydrodynamic quantities
• A parallel gravitational field solver based on FFT convolution techniques, which uses the FFTW software libraries
• Relaxation Techniques for single stars and synchronized binaries
• Three different artificial viscosity treatments to calculate the thermodynamic evolution of the matter
• An optional gravitational radiation back-reaction treatment, which calculates the damping force from gravity wave losses to lowest relativistic order in a spatially accurate way

The serial version of the StarCrash code is available here. Note that this is a beta version, and has not been tested exhaustively. If you find a bug, please report it to us and we will fix it ASAP. All licensing terms and acknowledgement instructions are the same as for the parallel code.

The serial version is basically the same as the parallel version, but with all the MPI-based commands stripped out. Like the parallel version, it requires the FFTW, including the real-to-complex libraries, but not the parallel routines. As might be expected, the StarCrash interface with the FFT is not quite analogous to the parallel treatment, but these details should be transparent to the user. Check out the file "fftw_f77.C" for the dirty details.

Compiling the serial version of StarCrash should be practically the same as it is for the parallel version, and the vast majority of our User's Manual remains applicable. To run the code, just type "./sphagr".

Our user's manual, which describes the physics which goes into the code, the algorithms we use, and helpful information about every stage of running the code, can be found online here.
If you prefer, you can download it in either PostScript or PDF form as well.

Results from the StarCrash Code have appeared in many different places in the scientific literature. A list of references is available here.

This animation shows a relativistic calculation of the inspiral and final merger of two neutron stars driven by energy losses from gravitational radiation. A stable, rapidly rotating remnant is formed. Download animation (33MB)

While this code is being freely distributed, we ask that you please give appropriate credit to those who have spent a great deal of time developing it. If you are going to publish work done with this code, please consult this page for the proper references to cite.