Abstract / Description of output
This article describes a gravitational N-body integration algorithm conserving linear and angular momentum and time-reversal symmetry. Forces are dynamically partitioned based on interbody separation, so that the long-range forces are evaluated relatively rarely, and close approaches are treated by an efficient regularization technique. The method incorporates an automatic stepsize adjustment based on a Sundman time-transformation. Although the scheme is formally second order, the most intensive computations (the close-approach dynamics) are executed at higher order, thus improving the overall accuracy. Numerical experiments indicate that the method can effectively treat few-body gravitational problems with two-body close approaches, and it compares favorably with other schemes presented in the literature.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1016-1035 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2001 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Hamiltonian systems
- N-body problems
- Smooth switching functions
- Time-reversible discretization