I am a Computational Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. I design high-performance multi-physics simulation code, in particular high-order Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) finite element methods for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations. I also push the frontiers of simulating quantum systems in cosmology, such as fuzzy dark matter.
I received my PhD in Astrophysics 2017 from Harvard University under the advisorship of Lars Hernquist. I designed a finite volume moving mesh MHD code, and applied it to study structure formation and magnetic field growth in the interstellar medium and in cosmological settings. My physics modules were implemented into the Arepo code. I received an AB in Mathematics and Astrophysics in 2012 from Harvard.
My broad interests include multi-physics simulations, cosmology, galaxy evolution, black hole physics, turbulence, numerical methods, computer visualization, and machine learning/AI.
I grew up in Hawaii and I love the outdoors.
Download my curriculum vitae (CV) [.pdf]
Toward Cosmological Simulations of Dark Matter on Quantum Computers
Mocz, P.; Szasz, A.; 2021 ApJ, 910, 29
Galaxy Formation with BECDM - II. Cosmic Filaments and First Galaxies
Mocz, P.; Fialkov, A.; Vogelsberger, M.; Becerra, F.; Shen, X.; Robles, V.H.; Amin, M.A.; Zavala, J.; Boylan-Kolchin, M.; Bose, S.; Marinacci, F.; Chavanis, P.H.; Lancaster, K.; Hernquist, L.; 2021 MNRAS, 494, 2021
First star-forming structures in fuzzy cosmic filaments
Mocz, P.; Fialkov A.; Vogelsberger, M.; Becerra, F.; Amin, M.A.; Bose, S.; Boylan-Kolchin, M.; Chavanis, P.H.; Hernquist, L.; Lancaster, L.; Marinacci, M.; Robles, V.H.; Zavala, J; 2019 Phys. Rev. Lett. (Editors' Selection) 123, 14
Fuzzy Dark Matter Soliton Cores around Supermassive Black Holes
Davies, E.Y.; Mocz, P.; 2020 MNRAS, 492, 5721
A Markov model for non-lognormal density distributions in compressive isothermal turbulence
Mocz, P.; Burkhart, B.; 2019 ApJL, 884, 2
Formation, Gravitational Clustering and Interactions of Non-relativistic Solitons in an Expanding Universe
Amin, M.; Mocz, P.; 2019 Phys. Rev. D, 100, 6
Heating of Milky Way disc stars by dark matter fluctuations in cold dark matter and fuzzy dark matter paradigms
Church, B.; Mocz, P.; Ostriker, J.P.; 2019 MNRAS, 485, 2861
Star formation from dense shocked regions in supersonic isothermal magnetoturbulence
Mocz, P.; Burkhart, B.; 2018 MNRAS, 480, 3916
On the Schrodinger-Poisson--Vlasov-Poisson correspondence
Mocz, P.; Lancaster, L.; Fialkov A.; Becerra, F.; Chavanis, P.H.; 2018 PhRvD, 97, 3519
Galaxy Formation with BECDM - I. Turbulence and relaxation of idealised haloes
Mocz, P.; Vogelsberger, M.; Robles, V.; Zavala J.; Boylan-Kolchin, M.; Fialkov A.; Hernquist, L.; 2017 MNRAS, 471, 4559
Moving mesh simulations of star forming cores in magneto-gravo-turbulence
Mocz, P.; Burkhart, B.; Hernquist, L.; McKee, C.; Springel, V.; 2017 ApJ, 838, 1
~100 line Python tutorials for computational astro https://philip-mocz.medium.com/
Check out the collection at http://april1arxiv.github.io
PAVOREAL (PArellel VOlume REndering ALgorithm) on GPUs
Explore the shock structure in the Euler and MHD Riemann problems
Paper on my simulations of a cosmic-ray pressure gradient instability in a turbulent MHD environment at a shock interface, as part of my project for Astronomy 253 (plasma physics). Read the report (.pdf) and download the Matlab code
Bayesian nested sampling fitting of exoplanet radial velocity curve with 2 planets
A simple introduction (.pdf) to smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH), and writing your own code
Einstein & Spitzer Fellow
Philip Mocz pronounced: