English

$clustertools$: A Python Package for Analyzing Star Cluster Simulations

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2023-05-22 v1 Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

Abstract

clustertoolsclustertools is a Python package for analyzing star cluster simulations. The package is built around the StarClusterStarCluster class, which stores all data read in from the snapshot of a given model star cluster. The package contains functions for loading data from commonly used NN-body codes, generic snapshots, and software for generating initial conditions. All operations and functions within clustertoolsclustertools are then designed to act on a StarClusterStarCluster. clustertoolsclustertools can be used for unit and coordinate transformations, the calculation of key structural and kinematic parameters, analysis of the cluster's orbit and tidal tails, and measuring common cluster properties like its mass function, density profile, and velocity dispersion profile (among others). While originally designed with star clusters in mind, clustertoolsclustertools can be used to study other types of NN-body systems, including stellar streams and dark matter sub-halos.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2305.11222,
  title  = {$clustertools$: A Python Package for Analyzing Star Cluster Simulations},
  author = {Jeremy J. Webb},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.11222},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

Accepted for Publication in the Journal of Open Source Software, also see https://clustertools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ for complete documentation