An algorithm for Monte-Carlo time-dependent radiation transfer
Abstract
A new Monte-Carlo algorithm for calculating time-dependent radiative-transfer under the assumption of LTE is presented. Unlike flux-limited diffusion the method is polychromatic, includes scattering, and is able to treat the optically thick and free-streaming regimes simultaneously. The algorithm is tested on a variety of 1-d and 2-d problems, and good agreement with benchmark solutions is found. The method is used to calculate the time-varying spectral energy distribution from a circumstellar disc illuminated by a protostar whose accretion luminosity is varying. It is shown that the time lag between the optical variability and the infrared variability results from a combination of the photon travel time and the thermal response in the disc, and that the lag is an approximately linear function of wavelength.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1105.5571,
title = {An algorithm for Monte-Carlo time-dependent radiation transfer},
author = {Tim J. Harries},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1105.5571},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
10 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS