A High-Precision, Differentiable Code for Solar System Ephemerides

Abstract

We present jorbit, a python/JAX library designed to enable modern data-driven numerical studies of the solar system. Written entirely in JAX, an auto-differentiable and optionally GPU accelerated language behind many current large-scale machine learning efforts, jorbit includes an independent implementation of REBOUND's IAS15 integrator and the ability to parse precomputed ephemerides such as the JPL DE series. In its default behavior, jorbit maintains ~1 mas agreement with JPL Horizons on ~decade timescales for typical main-belt asteroids, enabling it to fully capitalize on high-precision astrometry and ranging data. We include details of the code's implementation and several worked examples, including illustrations of jorbit's ability to simulate N-body systems, forward model astrometric data, fit orbits, replicate the Minor Planet Center's "MPChecker" service, and contribute to modeling the effect of minor planets on stellar light curves.

Accepted in PSJ, 17 pages

References in corpus (23)

• SciPy 1.0--Fundamental Algorithms for Scientific Computing in Python
• Array Programming with NumPy
• Astropy: A Community Python Package for Astronomy
• The NumPy array: a structure for efficient numerical computation
• The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package
• The Astropy Project: Sustaining and Growing a Community-oriented Open-source Project and the Latest Major Release (v5.0) of the Core Package
• The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
• LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products
• The K2 Mission: Characterization and Early results
• REBOUND: An open-source multi-purpose N-body code for collisional dynamics
• astroquery: An Astronomical Web-Querying Package in Python
• IAS15: A fast, adaptive, high-order integrator for gravitational dynamics, accurate to machine precision over a billion orbits
• The TESS Input Catalog and Candidate Target List
• REBOUNDx: A Library for Adding Conservative and Dissipative Forces to Otherwise Symplectic N-body Integrations
• Orbit Fitting and Uncertainties for Kuiper Belt Objects
• Predicting the long-term stability of compact multiplanet systems
• Gaia Data Release 2: Observations of solar system objects
• Taxonomic classification of asteroids based on MOVIS near-infrared colors
• Constraints on the location of a possible 9th planet derived from the Cassini data
• Data Release 3: the Solar System survey
• Second-order variational equations for N-body simulations
• Self-Consistent Spin, Tidal and Dynamical Equations of Motion in the REBOUNDx Framework
• A new timestep criterion for N-body simulations