This book leads directly to the most modern numerical techniques for compressible fluid flow, with special consideration given to astrophysical applications. Emphasis is put on high-resolution shock-capturing finite-volume schemes based on Riemann solvers. The applications of such schemes, in particular the PPM method, are given and include large-scale simulations of supernova explosions by core collapse and thermonuclear burning and astrophysical jets. Parts two and three treat radiation hydrodynamics. The power of adaptive (moving) grids is demonstrated with a number of stellar-physical simulations showing very crispy shock-front structures.

These notes developed from a course on the numerical solution of conservation laws first taught at the University of Washington in the fall of 1988 and then at ETH during the following spring. The overall emphasis is on studying the mathematical tools that are essential in de veloping, analyzing, and successfully using numerical methods for nonlinear systems of conservation laws, particularly for problems involving shock waves. A reasonable un derstanding of the mathematical structure of these equations and their solutions is first required, and Part I of these notes deals with this theory. Part II deals more directly with numerical methods, again with the emphasis on general tools that are of broad use. I have stressed the underlying ideas used in various classes of methods rather than present ing the most sophisticated methods in great detail. My aim was to provide a sufficient background that students could then approach the current research literature with the necessary tools and understanding. Without the wonders of TeX and LaTeX, these notes would never have been put together. The professional-looking results perhaps obscure the fact that these are indeed lecture notes. Some sections have been reworked several times by now, but others are still preliminary. I can only hope that the errors are. not too blatant. Moreover, the breadth and depth of coverage was limited by the length of these courses, and some parts are rather sketchy."

This book contains an introduction to hyperbolic partial differential equations and a powerful class of numerical methods for approximating their solution, (including both linear problems and nonlinear conservation laws). These equations describe a wide range of wave propagation and transport phenomena arising in nearly every scientific and engineering discipline. Several applications are described in a self-contained manner, along with much of the mathematical theory of hyperbolic problems. High-resolution versions of Godunov's method are developed, in which Riemann problems are solved to determine the local wave structure and limiters are applied to eliminate numerical oscillations. The methods were orginally designed to capture shock waves accurately, but are also useful tools for studying linear wave-progagation problems, particulary in heterogenous material. The methods studied are in the CLAWPACK software package. Source code for all the examples presented can be found on the web, along with animations of many of the simulations. This provides an excellent learning environment for understanding wave propagation phenomena and finite volume methods.