On the use of a heterogeneous MIMD-SIMD platform to simulate the dynamics of globular clusters with a central massive object

The dynamics of a large stellar (globular) cluster containing N = 128,000 s tars has been simulated using a direct summation (O (N-2)) method and a het erogeneous platform. Preliminary simulations have been carried out on model systems with and without the presence. in their center of mass. of a black hole whose mass has been varied from 0.02 to 0.1 times the total mass of t he cluster. These simulations followed the evolution of the globular cluste r in order to describe its dynamics over an interval of time sufficiently l arge with respect to the internal crossing time. Computations have demonstr ated that the platform heterogeneity, allowing a very efficient use of the computational resources. can be considered a key feature for sustaining lar ge computational loads. Our results show that the massive object in the cen ter of the cluster alters the surrounding star distribution very quickly; t he following evolution is much slower. as it occurs via two-body collisiona l relaxation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science.