2,112 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
Absolute-Magnitude Distributions and Light Curves of Stripped-Envelope Supernovae
The absolute visual magnitudes of three Type IIb, 11 Type Ib and 13 Type Ic
supernovae (collectively known as stripped-envelope supernovae) are studied by
collecting data on the apparent magnitude, distance, and interstellar
extinction of each event. Weighted and unweighted mean absolute magnitudes of
the combined sample as well as various subsets of the sample are reported. The
limited sample size and the considerable uncertainties, especially those
associated with extinction in the host galaxies, prevent firm conclusions
regarding differences between the absolute magnitudes of supernovae of Type Ib
and Ic, and regarding the existence of separate groups of overluminous and
normal-luminosity stripped-envelope supernovae. The spectroscopic
characteristics of the events of the sample are considered. Three of the four
overluminous events are known to have had unusual spectra. Most but not all of
the normal luminosity events had typical spectra. Light curves of
stripped-envelope supernovae are collected and compared. Because SN 1994I in
M51 was very well observed it often is regarded as the prototypical Type Ic
supernova, but it has the fastest light curve in the sample. Light curves are
modeled by means of a simple analytical technique that, combined with a
constraint on E/M from spectroscopy, yields internally consistent values of
ejected mass, kinetic energy, and nickel mass.Comment: 39 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables; Accepted to A
A Sensitivity Study of the Enceladus Torus
We have developed a homogeneous model of physical chemistry to investigate
the neutral-dominated, water-based Enceladus torus. Electrons are treated as
the summation of two isotropic Maxwellian distributionsa thermal component
and a hot component. The effects of electron impact, electron recombination,
charge exchange, and photochemistry are included. The mass source is neutral
HO, and a rigidly-corotating magnetosphere introduces energy via pickup of
freshly-ionized neutrals. A small fraction of energy is also input by Coulomb
collisions with a small population ( 1%) of supra-thermal electrons. Mass
and energy are lost due to radial diffusion, escaping fast neutrals produced by
charge exchange and recombination, and a small amount of radiative cooling. We
explore a constrained parameter space spanned by water source rate, ion radial
diffusion, hot-electron temperature, and hot-electron density. The key findings
are: (1) radial transport must take longer than 12 days; (2) water is input at
a rate of 100--180 kg s; (3) hot electrons have energies between 100 and
250 eV; (4) neutrals dominate ions by a ratio of 40:1 and continue to dominate
even when thermal electrons have temperatures as high as 5 eV; (5)
hot electrons do not exceed 1% of the total electron population within the
torus; (6) if hot electrons alone drive the observed longitudinal variation in
thermal electron density, then they also drive a significant variation in ion
composition.Comment: 9 pages text, 3 tables, 9 figure
Simulation of Claylike Colloids
We investigate properties of dense suspensions and sediments of small
spherical silt particles by means of a combined Molecular Dynamics (MD) and
Stochastic Rotation Dynamics (SRD) simulation. We include van der Waals and
effective electrostatic interactions between the colloidal particles, as well
as Brownian motion and hydrodynamic interactions which are calculated in the
SRD-part. We present the simulation technique and first results. We have
measured velocity distributions, diffusion coefficients, sedimentation
velocity, spatial correlation functions and we have explored the phase diagram
depending on the parameters of the potentials and on the volume fraction.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure
An HST/ACS View of the Inhomogeneous Outer Halo of M31
We present a high precision photometric view of the stellar populations in
the outer halo of M31, using data taken with the Hubble Space Telescope
Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS). We analyse the field populations
adjacent to 11 luminous globular clusters which sample the galactocentric
radial range 18 < R < 100 kpc and reach a photometric depth of ~2.5 magnitudes
below the horizontal branch (m_F814W ~27 mag). The colour-magnitude diagrams
(CMDs) are well populated out to ~60 kpc and exhibit relatively metal-rich red
giant branches, with the densest fields also showing evidence for prominent red
clumps. We use the Dartmouth isochrones to construct metallicity distribution
functions (MDFs) which confirm the presence of dominant populations with
= -0.6 to -1.0 dex and considerable metallicity dispersions of 0.2 to
0.3 dex (assuming a 10 Gyr population and scaled-Solar abundances). The average
metallicity over the range 30 - 60 kpc is [Fe/H] = -0.8 +/- 0.14 dex, with no
evidence for a significant radial gradient. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] <= -1.3)
typically account for < 10-20 % of the population in each field, irrespective
of radius. Assuming our fields are unbiased probes of the dominant stellar
populations in these parts, we find that the M31 outer halo remains
considerably more metal-rich than that of the Milky Way out to at least 60 kpc.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 10 pages, 6 figure
Recommended from our members
Observations of the martian atmosphere with the mars climate sounder
The Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) has obtained measurements of the Martian atmosphere for one Mars year. Onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), MCS continues to acquire high vertical resolution profiles of temperature, dust, condensates of CO2 and H2O, and water vapor by observing the limb of the atmosphere from the surface to 80 km in the spectral intervals 0.3 – 3 ?m and 11.5 – 45 ?m [1]. This paper describes the investigation and introduces some of the observations being studied by the MCS science team. Other presentations by the team at this workshop will describe in greater detail results of ongoing research using MCS data
PAndAS' progeny: extending the M31 dwarf galaxy cabal
We present the discovery of five new dwarf galaxies, Andromeda XXIII-XXVII,
located in the outer halo of M31. These galaxies were found in the second year
of data from the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) of the M31/M33
subgroup. This survey now provides an almost complete panoramic view of the M31
halo out to an average projected radius of ~150 kpc. The metal-poor stellar
density map for this whole region serves, not only as an illustration of the
discovery space for satellite galaxies, but also gives a birds-eye view of the
ongoing assembly process of an L* disk galaxy. Four of the new dwarfs appear as
well-defined spatial over-densities of stars lying on the expected locus of
metal-poor red giant branch stars at the distance of M31. The fifth
over-density, And XXVII, is embedded in an extensive stream of such stars and
is possibly the remnant of a strong tidal disruption event. All five satellites
have metallicities and luminosities typical of dwarf spheroidal galaxies and
continue the trend whereby the brighter dwarf spheroidal satellites of M31
generally have much larger half-light radii than their Milky Way counterparts.
With an extended sample of M31 satellite galaxies we also revisit the spatial
distribution of this population and find that, within the current limits of the
PAndAS survey, the surface density of satellites is essentially constant out to
150 kpc. This corresponds to a radial density distribution of satellites
varying as 1/r, a result seemingly in conflict with the predictions of
cosmological simulations. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 16 pages, 8
figure
Characterization of the near-Earth Asteroid 2002NY40
In August 2002, the near-Earth asteroid 2002 NY40, made its closest approach
to the Earth. This provided an opportunity to study a near-Earth asteroid with
a variety of instruments. Several of the telescopes at the Maui Space
Surveillance System were trained at the asteroid and collected adaptive optics
images, photometry and spectroscopy. Analysis of the imagery reveals the
asteroid is triangular shaped with significant self-shadowing. The photometry
reveals a 20-hour period and the spectroscopy shows that the asteroid is a
Q-type
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