TPCI: the PLUTO-CLOUDY Interface

A versatile coupled photoionization hydrodynamics code^⋆

¹ Hamburger Sternwarte, Universität Hamburg, Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: msalz@hs.uni-hamburg.de
² Dipartimento di Fisica Generale, Universitá di Torino, via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy

Received: 3 June 2014
Accepted: 10 February 2015

Abstract

We present an interface between the (magneto-) hydrodynamics code PLUTO and the plasma simulation and spectral synthesis code CLOUDY. By combining these codes, we constructed a new photoionization hydrodynamics solver: the PLUTO-CLOUDY Interface (TPCI), which is well suited to simulate photoevaporative flows under strong irradiation. The code includes the electromagnetic spectrum from X-rays to the radio range and solves the photoionization and chemical network of the 30 lightest elements. TPCI follows an iterative numerical scheme: first, the equilibrium state of the medium is solved for a given radiation field by CLOUDY, resulting in a net radiative heating or cooling. In the second step, the latter influences the (magneto-) hydrodynamic evolution calculated by PLUTO. Here, we validated the one-dimensional version of the code on the basis of four test problems: photoevaporation of a cool hydrogen cloud, cooling of coronal plasma, formation of a Strömgren sphere, and the evaporating atmosphere of a hot Jupiter. This combination of an equilibrium photoionization solver with a general MHD code provides an advanced simulation tool applicable to a variety of astrophysical problems.