Setting up the scientific N-Body simulation AstroGen2

Introduction

This tutorial explains how to install and analyze the AstroGen2 simulation on a Linux server to study star formation in galaxies and galactic interactions.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that your server meets the following requirements.

This tutorial explains how to run the simulation on a Linux server, copy the generated data to a Windows machine and analyze it there. However, it is also possible to perform the simulation and the analysis of the simulation results on a single Windows machine.

For installation and simulation:

• Operating system: Windows or Linux (Ubuntu recommended)

• Already installed:

  Before starting, install the following software on your system:

  • CMake (version 3.10 or higher)
  • GCC (GNU Compiler Collection)

  sudo apt update
  sudo apt install cmake gcc g++

For analyzing the simulation results:

• Operating system: Windows

Step 1 – Installation

Connect to your Linux server and clone the repository onto your machine:

cd ~ && git clone https://github.com/Philip-Spaeth/AstroGen2.git

Navigate into the project directory:

cd ~/AstroGen2/simulation

Build the project using CMake:

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make

Step 2 – Setting up initial galaxy data

The initial conditions for the galaxies must be stored in the ~/AstroGen2/input_data/ directory.

Navigate to the input folder ~/AstroGen2/input_data/ and clone the repository Example_ICs_AG2:

cd ~/AstroGen2/input_data/
git clone https://github.com/Philip-Spaeth/Example_ICs_AG2.git

Step 3 – Simulation configuration

Edit the configuration settings to define galaxy parameters and simulation settings:

nano ~/AstroGen2/simulation/Config.ini

Adjust the following parameters:

Step 4 – Running the compiled program

After building the project, you can run the simulation:

cd ~/AstroGen2/simulation/build/
./Astro_Genesis
./AstroGen2

Step 5 – Analyzing the simulation results

Now switch to your Windows device to perform the analysis there.

Step 5.1 – Setting up AGRender for analysis

• Clone the AGRender Repository

  • WSL subsystem for Windows

    mkdir ~/AstroGen2
    cd ~/AstroGen2
    git clone https://github.com/Philip-Spaeth/AGRender.git

  • PowerShell

    mkdir ~/AstroGen2
    cd ~/AstroGen2
    curl -o AGRender.zip https://github.com/Philip-Spaeth/AGRender/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
    tar -xf AGRender.zip
    mv AGRender-master AGRender

• Add the analysis results

  The AGRender program requires a separate directory called output_data to store render data. The calculated data must be located relative to type.exe in the output_data folder. For example:

  AstroGen2/
  ├── output_data
  │   └── test
  └── AGRender
      └── pre_build
          └── type.exe

  If you followed all steps on a single machine, you can directly use the calculated data in the output_data folder.

  If you are working on two separate systems, you need to copy the output_data folder with the analysis results from your Linux server to your Windows machine.

  Navigate to AstroGen2 on your Windows machine and use the following command to copy the calculated data from the Linux server to your Windows machine:

  cd ~/AstroGen2
  scp -r <user>@<server_ip>:~/AstroGen2/output_data .

• Use precompiled binaries or compile from source

  Choose one of the two options.

  • Using precompiled binaries ^recommended

    cd AGRender/pre_build
    # chmod +x galaxyPart.exe && chmod +x type.exe
    ./galaxyPart.exe  or  ./type.exe

  
  

  • Compiling the project with CMake

    mkdir build && cd build
    cmake ..
    make

This should start an interactive environment where you can provide additional information.

Step 5.2 – Controls for AGRender

• Mouse: Rotate the view

• Keyboard: Move and interact with particles

  Key	Action
  w	Move forward
  s	Move backward
  d	Move right
  a	Move left
  L	Focus on galaxy center
  Ctrl	Faster movement
  Space bar	Start/Stop the simulation
  Left arrow	Decrease speed
  Right arrow	Increase speed
  Keys 1–9	Display specific particle types (gas, dark matter, etc.)

Example visualization

Conclusion

With this tutorial and the AstroGen2 program, you can now run scientific simulations of galaxies and thereby investigate star formations and the behavior of galaxies on a scientific level.

License: MIT