Abstract
This paper describes a new, 3D adaptive grid code which solves the gasdynamic equations together with a system of rate equations for atomic/ionic and molecular species. This code also includes a treatment of the radiative transfer, which had been developed for a previous, uniform grid 3D code. In order to validate the code, the authors present a comparison between a numerical simulation and a laboratory experiment of a shock wave driven by a Nd:YAG laser-generated, expanding plasma bubble. They find that the agreement between the predicted and observed time-evolution of the shock wave is highly satisfactory. Finally, future applications of this code to astrophysical and geophysical problems are discussed.
