Related papers: Fast and reliable symplectic integration for plane…
Reliable studies of the long-term dynamics of planetary systems require numerical integrators that are accurate and fast. The challenge is often formidable because the chaotic nature of many systems requires relative numerical error bounds…
Symplectic N-body integrators are widely used to study problems in celestial mechanics. The most popular algorithms are of 2nd and 4th order, requiring 2 and 6 substeps per timestep, respectively. The number of substeps increases rapidly…
The intention of this article is to illustrate the use of methods from symplectic geometry for practical purposes. Our intended audience is scientists interested in orbits of Hamiltonian systems (e.g. the three-body problem). The main…
We developed a new direct-tree hybrid N-body algorithm for fully self-consistent N-body simulations of star clusters in their parent galaxies. In such simulations, star clusters need high accuracy, while galaxies need a fast scheme because…
We suggest a numerical integration procedure for solving the equations of motion of certain classical spin systems which preserves the underlying symplectic structure of the phase space. Such symplectic integrators have been successfully…
Symplectic integration algorithms are well-suited for long-term integrations of Hamiltonian systems because they preserve the geometric structure of the Hamiltonian flow. However, this desirable property is generally lost when adaptive…
We present a simple algorithm to switch between $N$-body time integrators in a reversible way. We apply it to planetary systems undergoing arbitrarily close encounters and highly eccentric orbits, but the potential applications are broader.…
Wisdom-Holman (WH) integrators are symplectic operator-splitting methods widely used for long-term N-body simulations of planetary systems. Most implementations use either Jacobi coordinates or democratic heliocentric coordinates (DHC) for…
We present a new implementation of the numerical integration of the classical, gravitational, N-body problem based on a high order Hermite's integration scheme with block time steps, with a direct evaluation of the particle-particle forces.…
Hill's equations are an approximation that is useful in a number of areas of astrophysics including planetary rings and planetesimal disks. We derive a symplectic method for integrating Hill's equations based on a generalized leapfrog. This…
We report on a problem found in MERCURY, a hybrid symplectic integrator used for dynamical problems in Astronomy. The variable that keeps track of bodies' statuses is uninitialised, which can result in bodies disappearing from simulations…
By combining a standard symmetric, symplectic integrator with a new step size controller, we provide an integration scheme that is symmetric, reversible and conserves the values of the constants of motion. This new scheme is appropriate for…
We present a new C++ code for collisional N-body simulations of star clusters. The code uses the Hermite fourth-order scheme with block time steps, for advancing the particles in time, while the forces and neighboring particles are computed…
Time-reversible symplectic methods, which are precisely compatible with Liouville's phase-volume-conservation theorem, are often recommended for computational simulations of Hamiltonian mechanics. Lack of energy drift is an apparent…
A Kepler solver is an analytical method used to solve a two-body problem. In this paper, we propose a new correction method by slightly modifying the Kepler solver. The only change to the analytical solutions is that the obtainment of the…
A symplectic integrator algorithm suitable for hierarchical triple systems is formulated and tested. The positions of the stars are followed in hierarchical Jacobi coordinates, whilst the planets are referenced purely to their primary. The…
We construct an explicit reversible symplectic integrator for the planar 3-body problem with zero angular momentum. We start with a Hamiltonian of the planar 3-body problem that is globally regularised and fully symmetry reduced. This…
We present IAS15, a 15th-order integrator to simulate gravitational dynamics. The integrator is based on a Gau\ss-Radau quadrature and can handle conservative as well as non-conservative forces. We develop a step-size control that can…
It has previously been shown that varying the numerical timestep during a symplectic orbital integration leads to a random walk in energy and angular momentum, destroying the phase space-conserving property of symplectic integrators. Here…
Calculating the long term solution of ordinary differential equations, such as those of the $N$-body problem, is central to understanding a wide range of dynamics in astrophysics, from galaxy formation to planetary chaos. Because generally…