Deep Neural Networks for Modeling Astrophysical Nuclear Reacting Flows

Abstract In astrophysical simulations, nuclear reacting flows pose computational challenges due to the stiffness of reaction networks. We introduce neural network-based surrogate models using the DeePODE framework to enhance simulation efficiency while maintaining accuracy and robustness. Our method replaces conventional stiff ordinary differential equation (ODE) solvers with deep learning models trained through evolutionary Monte Carlo sampling from zero-dimensional simulation data, ensuring generalization across varied thermonuclear and hydrodynamic conditions. Tested on 3-species and 13-species reaction networks, the models achieve ≲1% accuracy relative to semi-implicit numerical solutions and deliver a ∼2.6× speedup on CPUs. A temperature-thresholded deployment strategy ensures stability in extreme conditions, sustaining neural network utilization above 75% in multidimensional simulations. These data-driven surrogates effectively mitigate stiffness constraints, offering a scalable approach for high-fidelity modeling of astrophysical nuclear reacting flows.