Numerical Python in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Wolfram Schmidt is Head of IT and senior researcher at the Hamburg Observatory. He holds a Dipl.-Ing. in Physics and an M.Phil. in Astrophysics and received his Dr. rer. nat. from the Technical University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching. He completed his Habilitation with a thesis on the numerical modeling of astrophysical turbulence. Dr. Schmidt has worked on numerical simulations of a variety of astrophysical systems, ranging from thermonuclear supernovae through star-forming clouds to cosmological structure formation. Currently he is conducting research projects in the areas of computational cosmology and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence with international collaborators. In addition to his research activities, he teaches high-performance computing at Hamburg University and acts as a consultant to the Northern Supercomputing Alliance (HLRN).

Marcel Völschow is a research associate at Hamburg University. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in Physics and the subject of his doctorate is magnetic processes in binary stars. While being rooted in theoretical astrophysics, his research also covers the processing and analysis of large survey data sets. Whether working in public outreach, high school labs, or academic teaching, he has always been motivated by enthusiasm for the beauty of the universe. He is the author of a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Getting Started with Python.- Chapter 3. Computing and Displaying Data.- Chapter 4. Functions and Numerical Methods.- Chapter 5. Solving Differential Equations.- Chapter 6. Astronomical Data Analysis.