Synopses & Reviews
Unique coverage of subject, including the mathematics for computational methods of the classical N-body problem.
Review
"Within the N-body community the name of Sverre Aarseth is legendary. His pioneering approach to numerical simulation proved to be decades ahead of its time, as was his insistence on making his latest source code publicly available...as a list of what you need to think about to perform direct N-body simulations well, this book is excellent." Contemporary Physics
Synopsis
This book presents basic methods for numerical simulation of gravitational systems, demonstrating how to develop clear and elegant algorithms. It explains the fundamental mathematical tools needed to describe the dynamics of a large number of mutually attractive particles, and the techniques needed to model various known planetary and astrophysical phenomena.
Table of Contents
Preface; 1. The N-body problem; 2. Predictor-corrector methods; 3. Neighbour treatments; 4. Two-body regularization; 5. Multiple regularization; 6. Tree codes; 7. Program organization; 8. Initial setup; 9. Decision-making; 10. Neighbour schemes; 11. Two-body algorithms; 12. Chain procedures; 13. Accuracy and performance; 14. Practical aspects; 15. Star clusters; 16. Galaxies; 17. Planetary systems; 18. Small-N experiments; Appendix A. Global regularization algorithms; Appendix B. Chain algorithms; Appendix C. High-order systems; Appendix D. Practical algorithms; Appendix E. KS procedures with GRAPE; Appendix F. Alternative simulation method; Appendix G. Table of symbols; Appendix H. Hermite integration method; References; Index.