16 research outputs found
REBOUND: An open-source multi-purpose N-body code for collisional dynamics
REBOUND is a new multi-purpose N-body code which is freely available under an
open-source license. It was designed for collisional dynamics such as planetary
rings but can also solve the classical N-body problem. It is highly modular and
can be customized easily to work on a wide variety of different problems in
astrophysics and beyond.
REBOUND comes with three symplectic integrators: leap-frog, the symplectic
epicycle integrator (SEI) and a Wisdom-Holman mapping (WH). It supports open,
periodic and shearing-sheet boundary conditions. REBOUND can use a Barnes-Hut
tree to calculate both self-gravity and collisions. These modules are fully
parallelized with MPI as well as OpenMP. The former makes use of a static
domain decomposition and a distributed essential tree. Two new collision
detection modules based on a plane-sweep algorithm are also implemented. The
performance of the plane-sweep algorithm is superior to a tree code for
simulations in which one dimension is much longer than the other two and in
simulations which are quasi-two dimensional with less than one million
particles.
In this work, we discuss the different algorithms implemented in REBOUND, the
philosophy behind the code's structure as well as implementation specific
details of the different modules. We present results of accuracy and scaling
tests which show that the code can run efficiently on both desktop machines and
large computing clusters.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&A, source code available at
https://github.com/hannorein/reboun
Stochastic orbital migration of small bodies in Saturn's rings
Many small moonlets, creating propeller structures, have been found in
Saturn's rings by the Cassini spacecraft. We study the dynamical evolution of
such 20-50m sized bodies which are embedded in Saturn's rings. We estimate the
importance of various interaction processes with the ring particles on the
moonlet's eccentricity and semi-major axis analytically. For low ring surface
densities, the main effects on the evolution of the eccentricity and the
semi-major axis are found to be due to collisions and the gravitational
interaction with particles in the vicinity of the moonlet. For large surface
densities, the gravitational interaction with self-gravitating wakes becomes
important.
We also perform realistic three dimensional, collisional N-body simulations
with up to a quarter of a million particles. A new set of pseudo shear periodic
boundary conditions is used which reduces the computational costs by an order
of magnitude compared to previous studies. Our analytic estimates are confirmed
to within a factor of two.
On short timescales the evolution is always dominated by stochastic effects
caused by collisions and gravitational interaction with self-gravitating ring
particles. These result in a random walk of the moonlet's semi-major axis. The
eccentricity of the moonlet quickly reaches an equilibrium value due to
collisional damping. The average change in semi-major axis of the moonlet after
100 orbital periods is 10-100m. This translates to an offset in the azimuthal
direction of several hundred kilometres. We expect that such a shift is easily
observable.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, submitted to A&A, comments welcom
-body Simulation of Planetesimal Formation Through Gravitational Instability of a Dust Layer
We performed N-body simulations of a dust layer without a gas component and
examined the formation process of planetesimals. We found that the formation
process of planetesimals can be divided into three stages: the formation of
non-axisymmetric wake-like structures, the creation of aggregates, and the
collisional growth of the aggregates. Finally, a few large aggregates and many
small aggregates are formed. The mass of the largest aggregate is larger than
the mass predicted by the linear perturbation theory. We examined the
dependence of system parameters on the planetesimal formation. We found that
the mass of the largest aggregates increase as the size of the computational
domain increases. However the ratio of the aggregate mass to the total mass
is almost constant . The mass of
the largest aggregate increases with the optical depth and the Hill radius of
particles.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Rings in the Solar System: a short review
Rings are ubiquitous around giant planets in our Solar System. They evolve
jointly with the nearby satellite system. They could form either during the
giant planet formation process or much later, as a result of large scale
dynamical instabilities either in the local satellite system, or at the
planetary scale. We review here the main characteristics of rings in our solar
system, and discuss their main evolution processes and possible origin. We also
discuss the recent discovery of rings around small bodies.Comment: Accepted for the Handbook of Exoplanet
Origin and Evolution of Saturn's Ring System
The origin and long-term evolution of Saturn's rings is still an unsolved
problem in modern planetary science. In this chapter we review the current
state of our knowledge on this long-standing question for the main rings (A,
Cassini Division, B, C), the F Ring, and the diffuse rings (E and G). During
the Voyager era, models of evolutionary processes affecting the rings on long
time scales (erosion, viscous spreading, accretion, ballistic transport, etc.)
had suggested that Saturn's rings are not older than 100 My. In addition,
Saturn's large system of diffuse rings has been thought to be the result of
material loss from one or more of Saturn's satellites. In the Cassini era, high
spatial and spectral resolution data have allowed progress to be made on some
of these questions. Discoveries such as the ''propellers'' in the A ring, the
shape of ring-embedded moonlets, the clumps in the F Ring, and Enceladus' plume
provide new constraints on evolutionary processes in Saturn's rings. At the
same time, advances in numerical simulations over the last 20 years have opened
the way to realistic models of the rings's fine scale structure, and progress
in our understanding of the formation of the Solar System provides a
better-defined historical context in which to understand ring formation. All
these elements have important implications for the origin and long-term
evolution of Saturn's rings. They strengthen the idea that Saturn's rings are
very dynamical and rapidly evolving, while new arguments suggest that the rings
could be older than previously believed, provided that they are regularly
renewed. Key evolutionary processes, timescales and possible scenarios for the
rings's origin are reviewed in the light of tComment: Chapter 17 of the book ''Saturn After Cassini-Huygens'' Saturn from
Cassini-Huygens, Dougherty, M.K.; Esposito, L.W.; Krimigis, S.M. (Ed.) (2009)
537-57
Toward Realistic Galaxy Formation by Numerical Simulations
In most of numerical simulations of spiral galaxy formation,
mass/spatial resolution is ~ 105-6 M๏ and kpc or sub-kpc,
therefore inhomogeneous structure of the ISM in galaxies is not
resolved. This is the most serious defect in simulating star
formation and its feedback during galaxy formation/evolution. Here we
show an intrinsic structures of the ISM using 3-D high resolution
hydrodynamic simulations of galactic disks. We show that the PDFs in
globally stable, inhomogeneous ISM in galactic disks are well fitted
by a single log-normal function over a wide density range. The
dispersion of the log-normal PDF (LN-PDF) is larger for more gas-rich
systems. Using the LN-PDF, we give a generalized version of
Schmidt-Kennicutt law, i.e. SFR as a function of average gas density,
a critical local density for star formation, and star formation
efficiency. We also introduce our new project, “Project Milky Way”, in which we
aim to resolve properly the cold, dense ISM, as found in above
simulations, by ultra-high resolution during galaxy formation. We are
planning to construct a special cluster for simulating formation of
“Milky Way” using the next generation GRAPE