Phlegethon: a fully compressible magnetohydrodynamic code for simulations in stellar astrophysics
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Leidi, G. Holas, A. Vitovsky, K. Rizzuti, F. Roy, A. Reichert, J. Bayer, K. Gagnier, D. Andrassy, R. Christians, P. Edelmann, P. V. F. Varma, V. Hirschi, R. Röpke, F. K. |
| author_facet | Leidi, G. Holas, A. Vitovsky, K. Rizzuti, F. Roy, A. Reichert, J. Bayer, K. Gagnier, D. Andrassy, R. Christians, P. Edelmann, P. V. F. Varma, V. Hirschi, R. Röpke, F. K. |
| contents | We present PHLEGETHON, a fully compressible, Eulerian magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code designed for multidimensional simulations in stellar astrophysics. The code uses a time-explicit, second-order, finite-volume method optimized to model a wide range of dynamical processes in stars, from very low-Mach-number turbulent convection in the cores of massive stars to supersonic flows in subsurface convection zones. PHLEGETHON employs low-dissipation Riemann solvers and a well-balanced method to accurately capture slow flows arising from strongly stratified media. The induction equation is solved using a staggered constrained-transport method to ensure divergence-free evolution of the magnetic field. The MHD equations are coupled to arbitrary nuclear reaction networks solved in a time-implicit approach, together with super-time-stepping for efficient treatment of thermal diffusion. Equations of state appropriate for stellar plasmas are available, accounting for partial ionization, electron degeneracy, and electron-positron pair production. The code is implemented in a compact and user-friendly manner, and it scales to tens of thousands of CPU cores using MPI-based domain decomposition. We perform several verification tests to demonstrate the accuracy and versatility of the code, and present simulations of magnetoconvection in a core-collapse supernova progenitor star. The rich variety of physical effects and numerical methods implemented in PHLEGETHON enables the code to model diverse multidimensional processes that play a crucial role in stellar-interior dynamics, such as reactive convection, convective boundary mixing, internal-wave excitation, and magnetic-field amplification mechanisms. Within a single framework, these phenomena can be investigated across a wide range of stellar evolutionary stages, from main-sequence stars to supernova progenitors. PHLEGETHON is publicly accessible online. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_12672 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Phlegethon: a fully compressible magnetohydrodynamic code for simulations in stellar astrophysics Leidi, G. Holas, A. Vitovsky, K. Rizzuti, F. Roy, A. Reichert, J. Bayer, K. Gagnier, D. Andrassy, R. Christians, P. Edelmann, P. V. F. Varma, V. Hirschi, R. Röpke, F. K. Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics We present PHLEGETHON, a fully compressible, Eulerian magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code designed for multidimensional simulations in stellar astrophysics. The code uses a time-explicit, second-order, finite-volume method optimized to model a wide range of dynamical processes in stars, from very low-Mach-number turbulent convection in the cores of massive stars to supersonic flows in subsurface convection zones. PHLEGETHON employs low-dissipation Riemann solvers and a well-balanced method to accurately capture slow flows arising from strongly stratified media. The induction equation is solved using a staggered constrained-transport method to ensure divergence-free evolution of the magnetic field. The MHD equations are coupled to arbitrary nuclear reaction networks solved in a time-implicit approach, together with super-time-stepping for efficient treatment of thermal diffusion. Equations of state appropriate for stellar plasmas are available, accounting for partial ionization, electron degeneracy, and electron-positron pair production. The code is implemented in a compact and user-friendly manner, and it scales to tens of thousands of CPU cores using MPI-based domain decomposition. We perform several verification tests to demonstrate the accuracy and versatility of the code, and present simulations of magnetoconvection in a core-collapse supernova progenitor star. The rich variety of physical effects and numerical methods implemented in PHLEGETHON enables the code to model diverse multidimensional processes that play a crucial role in stellar-interior dynamics, such as reactive convection, convective boundary mixing, internal-wave excitation, and magnetic-field amplification mechanisms. Within a single framework, these phenomena can be investigated across a wide range of stellar evolutionary stages, from main-sequence stars to supernova progenitors. PHLEGETHON is publicly accessible online. |
| title | Phlegethon: a fully compressible magnetohydrodynamic code for simulations in stellar astrophysics |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.12672 |