pyro: A teaching code for computational astrophysical hydrodynamics

TL;DR

Pyro is an accessible, open-source educational code designed to help students learn computational hydrodynamics methods used in astrophysics through experimentation and hands-on testing.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, flexible code framework for teaching various astrophysical hydrodynamics methods, emphasizing learning and experimentation.

Findings

Demonstrates test problems for hydrodynamics methods

Highlights design philosophy for educational use

Suggests extensions for student learning

Abstract

We describe pyro: a simple, freely-available code to aid students in learning the computational hydrodynamics methods widely used in astrophysics. pyro is written with simplicity and learning in mind and intended to allow students to experiment with various methods popular in the field, including those for advection, compressible and incompressible hydrodynamics, multigrid, and diffusion in a finite-volume framework. We show some of the test problems from pyro, describe its design philosophy, and suggest extensions for students to build their understanding of these methods.