Written by a bestselling author, this is a modern view of thedynamics and evolution of star clusters combined with thoroughcoverage of the computational techniques. Targeted, relativelysimple programs are used to demonstrate basic points of physics,whereby these programs may be linked to show how the combination ofphysical processes can lead to qualitatively new behavior. Inaddition, illustrative examples are provided for the novice. Moreadvanced readers may experiment with the various modules (or writetheir own), allowing them to quickly modify the physics withouthaving to make wholesale changes to the larger program. Moretechnical issues, such as advanced algorithms, hardwareacceleration, and high-performance parallel computing, arediscussed in a series of appendices, with sample softwarecompatible with the framework provided on a companion web site.This is a simplified and streamlined version of the authors' ownMUSE research environment, and is compatible with the additionalsoftware found on the MUSE web site.
Aimed primarily at graduate students and post-docs, this is equallyof interest to observers and researchers in related fields whomight wish to model specific systems or processes of interest.