Rapid Optimal SPH Particle Distributions in Spherical Geometries For Creating Astrophysical Initial Conditions

Abstract

Creating spherical initial conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations that are spherically conformal is a difficult task. Here, we describe two algorithmic methods for evenly distributing points on surfaces, that when paired can be used to build 3D spherical objects with optimal equipartition of volume between particles, commensurate with an arbitrary, radial density function. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method against stretched lattice arrangements on the metrics of hydrodynamic stability, spherical conformity, and the harmonic power distribution of gravitational settling oscillations. We further demonstrate how our method is highly optimized for simulating multi-material spheres, such as planets with core-mantle boundaries.

7 pages, 8 figures, ApJ accepted

References in corpus (2)

• Discreteness effects in simulations of Hot/Warm dark matter
• An alternative to grids and glasses: Quaquaversal pre-initial conditions for N-body simulations

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Mass transfer in white dwarf-neutron star binaries
• Consequences of Giant Impacts on Early Uranus for Rotation, Internal Structure, Debris, and Atmospheric Erosion
• Transients from ONe White-Dwarf - Neutron-Star/Black-Hole Mergers
• Planetary Giant Impacts: Convergence of High-Resolution Simulations using Efficient Spherical Initial Conditions and SWIFT
• Faint rapid red transients from Neutron star -- CO white-dwarf mergers
• Photoionising feedback in spiral arm molecular clouds
• The effect of pre-impact spin on the Moon-forming collision
• A study of cool core resiliency and entropy mixing in simulations of galaxy cluster mergers
• Shadows of our Former Companions: How the Single-Degenerate Binary Type Ia Supernova Scenario Affects Remnants