In astrophysics and cosmology, fluid flow occurs on a large range of scales and under very different conditions, from the dense interior of stars and planets to the highly rarefied intergalactic medium. These flows share the fact that they are generally turbulent, i.e. highly disordered both in space and time. Most astrophysical flows occur under conditions where the driving forces generate large fluctuations in velocity and pressure with important consequences for the transport of energy and mass. Turbulence is one of the key processes for the structure and evolution of a large variety of geo- and astrophysical systems. Astrophysical turbulence and instabilities occur in connection with rotation, convection and magnetic fields. The universality of astrophysical turbulence interlinks the physics of the interior of planets or stars with protoplanetary or galactic disks, as well as the intergalactic gas outside of galaxies. For example, angular momentum transport by turbulence is a central question that must be answered to understand how galaxies or stars form, how protoplanetary disks evolve, how metals are mixed in the interstellar and intergalactic medium, or how differential rotation is established in stars and planets. Magnetic field amplification through turbulent dynamo processes is ubiquitous in planets, stars and galaxies. The onset of instabilities due to dust particles or newly formed planets in protoplanetary disks controls the properties of the evolving structures. We can observe a variety of interactions between stars, planets and galaxies with their environment leading to the exchange of energy and (angular-)momentum. This compilation highlights the enormous potential and perspective of a collaborative effort to investigate the common underlying physical processes. Our combination of projects will enable us to understand aspects of turbulent magnetic field amplification, turbulence and instabilities of rotating fluids, and in the interaction of turbulence and instabilities with radiation, gravitation or dust particles and hence answer fundamental questions about the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Completed projects
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A01 - Solar turbulent convection probed by helioseismology
(Project Heads
Gizon, Laurent
;
Hohage, Thorsten
)
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A02 - From solar to heliospheric flows and instabilities
(Project Heads
Bothmer, Volker
;
Büchner, Jörg
)
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A03 - Alfvénic impact on heliospheric plasma turbulence
(Project Heads
Motschmann, Ph.D., Uwe
;
Narita, Yasuhito
)
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A04 - Plasma turbulence with an outer disturber: planet-induced stellar activity
(Project Heads
Motschmann, Ph.D., Uwe
;
Reiners, Ansgar
)
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A05 - Inertial modes and tidal friction in stars and planets
(Project Heads
Dreizler, Stefan
;
Lube, Gert
;
Tilgner, Andreas
)
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A06 - Transition in rotating turbulent Rayleigh-Bènard convection
(Project Heads
Bodenschatz, Eberhard
;
Tilgner, Andreas
;
Wagner, Claus
)
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A07 - Instabilities and turbulence of dust sub]disks in protoplanetary nebulae
(Project Heads
Blum, Jürgen
;
Bodenschatz, Eberhard
;
Wagner, Claus
;
Xu, Haitao
)
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A08 - Transition to turbulence in accretion disks
(Project Heads
Hof, Björn
;
Tilgner, Andreas
)
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A11 - High-precision numerical simulation of nonradial nonlinear stellar pulsations
(Project Heads
Glatzel, Wolfgang
;
Lube, Gert
)
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A12 - MHD-turbulence and the origin of supermassive black holes
(Project Heads
Niemeyer, Jens
;
Schleicher, Dominik R.G.
)
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A13 - Hydrodynamical interaction of young galaxies with the intergalactic medium
(Project Heads
Kollatschny, Wolfram
;
Niemeyer, Jens
)
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A15 - Simulations of reconnection and dynamo action in turbulent plasma flows
(Project Heads
Büchner, Jörg
;
Schmidt, Wolfram
)
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A16 - Origin and structure of magnetic fields in cool stars
(Project Heads
Reiners, Ansgar
;
Schüssler, Manfred
)
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A16 - Origin and structure of magnetic fields in cool stars
(Project Heads
Jeffers, Sandra
;
Reiners, Ansgar
;
Schüssler, Manfred
)
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A17 - Magnetic fields and dynamos: from planets to low-mass stars
(Project Heads
Christensen, Ulrich
;
Reiners, Ansgar
)
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A18 - Asteroseismology and dynamos in solar-like stars
(Project Heads
Gizon, Laurent
;
Schunker, Hannah
)
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INF - ADIR: the AstroFIT Data InfRastructure
(Project Heads
Niemeyer, Jens
;
Schwardmann, Ulrich
)
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Z - Central tasks
(Project Head
Dreizler, Stefan
)
