The CRONOS Code for Astrophysical Magnetohydrodynamics

TL;DR

CRONOS is a flexible, modular C++ code for astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics that supports various coordinate systems and includes multiple solvers, demonstrated through diverse test problems and applications.

Contribution

The paper introduces CRONOS, a modular, adaptable MHD code with multiple solvers and coordinate support, tailored for astrophysics and space physics research.

Findings

Successfully applied to various (M)HD test problems

Demonstrated versatility in astrophysical applications

Supports multiple coordinate systems and solvers

Abstract

We describe the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code CRONOS, which has been used in astrophysics and space physics studies in recent years. CRONOS has been designed to be easily adaptable to the problem at hand, where the user can expand or exchange core modules or add new functionality to the code. This modularity comes about through its implementation using a C++ class structure. The core components of the code include solvers for both hydrodynamical (HD) and MHD problems. These problems are solved on different rectangular grids, which currently support Cartesian, spherical, and cylindrical coordinates. CRONOS uses a finite-volume description with different approximate Riemann solvers that can be chosen at runtime. Here, we describe the implementation of the code with a view toward its ongoing development. We illustrate the code's potential through several (M)HD test problems and some astrophysical applications.