Building Universes: Modeling the Cosmos with Supercomputers

How do we create a Universe? In this talk, I take you inside the world of computational astrophysics, where Universes are born from the laws of physics on supercomputers. Starting from a nearly uniform cosmos just after the Big Bang, numerical simulations follow the growth of structure as gravity draws matter together, gas collapses and the first galaxies ignite with stars and light.
Across 13.8 billion years of cosmic time, these simulated Universes evolve from simplicity into complexity: the cosmic web, dark matter halos, luminous galaxies, exploding stars and supermassive black holes that shape their surroundings. By turning equations into evolving worlds, supercomputers allow us to trace how galaxies form, change and interact with their environments—connecting the early Universe to the structured cosmos we see today.
But how real are these virtual Universes? Which physical processes truly shape galaxies across cosmic time? What have we learnt so far and what pressing questions keep astrophysicists up at night? Come learn how numerical simulations help us understand the astrophysics of our Universe.

credits: Dr. Aniket Bhagwat