Coupling of Nuclear Reaction Networks and Hydrodynamics for Application in Stellar Astrophysics

Multidimensional hydrodynamics simulations are becoming an increasingly useful tool for understanding processes in stellar astrophysics. Nuclear reactions are important for many of these processes. This work extends a hydrodynamics code with a nuclear reaction network and investigates different methods of coupling. Additionally, a well-balanced method for the treatment of gravity is introduced to prevent numerical problems connected to many low Mach number schemes. Convective mixing at the core of a Population III star is simulated as a first application.