Radiation transport methods in star formation simulations

Abstract

Radiation transport plays a crucial role in star formation models, as certain questions within this field cannot be accurately addressed without taking it into account. Given the high complexity of the interstellar medium from which stars form, numerical simulations are frequently employed to model the star formation process. This study reviews recent methods for incorporating radiation transport into star formation simulations, discussing them in terms of the used algorithms, treatment of radiation frequency dependence, the interaction of radiation with the gas, and the parallelization of methods for deployment on supercomputers. Broadly, the algorithms fall into two categories: (i) moment-based methods, encompassing the flux-limited diffusion approximation, M1 closure, and variable Eddington tensor methods, and (ii) methods directly solving the radiation transport equation, including forward and reverse ray tracing, characteristics-based methods, and Monte Carlo techniques. Beyond discussing advantages and disadvantages of these methods, the review also lists recent radiation hydrodynamic codes implemented the described methods.