Astrophysical fluid dynamics

Astrophysical fluid dynamics studies how gases and plasmas move and interact under gravity, radiation, magnetic fields, and rotation in astronomical systems.

Navier–Stokes equations: Partial differential equations describing the motion of viscous fluids through conservation of mass and momentum. They provide the basic continuum equations for many astrophysical flows.
Accretion disk: A rotating structure of gas or plasma spiraling toward a central object. Disk evolution depends on fluid transport of angular momentum and heat.
Continuum mechanics: The framework that models matter as continuously distributed rather than as individual particles. Astrophysical fluid equations use this approximation at scales larger than particle mean free paths.
Kinetic theory: A description of matter through the statistical motion and collisions of its constituent particles. It replaces fluid closure when particle distributions cannot be summarized by local fluid variables.
Magnetohydrodynamics: The theory of electrically conducting fluids interacting with magnetic fields. It describes plasma flows in stars, disks, and the interstellar medium.
Stellar convection: The transport of energy by buoyant motion within a star. Convection governs energy transport in substantial regions of many stars.
Plasma physics: The study of ionized matter and its collective electromagnetic behavior. Most visible cosmic gas is ionized, so electromagnetic forces often shape its motion.
General relativistic hydrodynamics: The theory of fluid motion in curved spacetime, combining hydrodynamics with general relativity. It extends Newtonian fluid models near black holes and neutron stars.
Radiation hydrodynamics: The study of fluid motion coupled to the transport and exchange of radiation energy and momentum. Radiation can heat, cool, and accelerate astrophysical gas.
Stellar wind: A continuous outflow of gas from a star into surrounding space. Fluid forces and heating determine how stellar material escapes.

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