Supervisors: Miljenko Cemeljic (email: miki@camk.edu.pl), Sukalpa Kundu
Title: Numerical simulations of star-disk magnetospheric interaction with PLUTO code
Time: 2-4 weeks, between June 16th-August 25th, 2026
Form: only on site in CAMK, Warsaw. No online option.
Aims: Intro to MHD & PLUTO, simulation set-up and testing, analysis of results.
Project description: The project aims to simulate magnetospheric interaction of a thin accretion disk with complex stellar magnetic field using the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code PLUTO, a state-of-the-art numerical tool for modelling astrophysical plasmas. Such disks are believed to form in high-accretion-rate systems, such as Young stellar object or binaries with white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, where the pressure from radiation becomes comparable to or even dominates over gas pressure. The primary goal is to explore the stability of these disks under different physical conditions, varying magnetic field configurations and disk magnetic Prandtl number. The simulations will help us understand whether these disks remain stable or develop instabilities, which can lead to turbulence, outflows, or changes in the disk structure. The student will learn how to configure and run 2D and 3D simulations using the PLUTO code, run simulations on a supercomputing cluster, gaining hands-on experience with high-performance computing, post-process the results and visualize physical quantities, to compare the outcomes with observational data.
Workplan: After a fast-forward introduction to simulations with PLUTO code, student(s) will embark on setting-up the simulation and test the numerical stability. They will also learn the theoretical basis of MHD and use numerical methods. After running the simulations, student(s) will analyze the data and discuss the results. Audience: undergrads and early-stage PhDs with interest and at least some knowledge of coding and work in Linux, C & Python.