Due to its modular structure, it can be used for a large variety of physical setups like hydro- and magnetohydrodynamics relevant for, e.g., astrophysics, geophysics, cosmology, turbulence, and combustion.
High-order (4th, 6th, and 10th order, as well as single-sided or upwind) derivatives are available to resolve strong variations on the grid scale.
There are modules for different time-integration schemes (e.g. three-step Runge–Kutta), treatment of shocks, embedded particle dynamics, chemistry, massive parallel I/O, etc.
Applications include studies of planet formation,[2] the solar dynamo,[3] mono-chromatic radiative transfer,[4] the coronal heating problem,[5] debris disks,[6] turbulent combustion of solid fuels, and others.
The Pencil Code development was started in 2001 by Axel Brandenburg and Wolfgang Dobler during the 'Helmholtz Summer School' at the Helmholtz Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam.