The 2D Continuum Radiative Transfer Problem: Benchmark Results for Disk Configurations

TL;DR

This paper provides benchmark solutions for 2D continuum radiative transfer in disk configurations, validating the accuracy of multiple codes and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of different numerical methods.

Contribution

It offers standardized benchmark problems and solutions for 2D disk radiative transfer, aiding verification of various computational codes.

Findings

All codes accurately reproduce temperature and spectral energy distributions.

Comparison reveals strengths and weaknesses of Monte-Carlo and grid-based methods.

Benchmark results serve as a reference for future code validation.

Abstract

We present benchmark problems and solutions for the continuum radiative transfer (RT) in a 2D disk configuration. The reliability of three Monte-Carlo and two grid-based codes is tested by comparing their results for a set of well-defined cases which differ for optical depth and viewing angle. For all the configurations, the overall shape of the resulting temperature and spectral energy distribution is well reproduced. The solutions we provide can be used for the verification of other RT codes.We also point out the advantages and disadvantages of the various numerical techniques applied to solve the RT problem.