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abstract
Recent observations of X-ray clusters by ROSAT and of clusters at high redshift by HST suggest that galaxy cluster evolution is a more complex process than a simple dynamical relaxation to hydrostatic equilibrium. Clusters may form at much higher redshifts than formerly expected and remain dynamically unrelaxed longer than previously thought. These results have important consequences for our understanding of galaxy evolution and the biasing of baryons and light relative to dark matter, if it exists. In order to study numerically the formation and evolution of galaxies within cluster environments, it is necessary to use simple, robust algorithms which are capable of handling shocks and shock interactions properly. For this purpose we are developing a parallel hydrodynamics code based on the piecewise-parabolic method (PPM) with a multigrid solver for Poisson's equation. We report on our progress and results of test runs on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cray T3D.
This work is supported by a NASA GSRP fellowship (number NGT-51322).
