arXiv subjects

Alexander J. Dittmann

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander J. Dittmann.

39 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Modified Hermite Integrators of Arbitrary Order

We present a family of modified Hermite integrators of arbitrary order possessing superior behaviour for the integration of Keplerian and near-Keplerian orbits. After recounting the derivation of Hermite N-body integrators of arbitrary order, we derive a corrector expression that minimises integrated errors in the argument of periapsis for any such integrator. In addition to providing an alternate derivation of the modified corrector for the 4th-order Hermite integrator, we focus on improved correctors for the 6th- and 8th-order integrators previously featured in the literature. We present a set of numerical examples and find that the higher-order schemes improve performance, even when considering their slightly higher cost in floating point operations. The algorithms presented herein hold promise for systems dominated by central potentials, such as planetary systems and the centres of galaxies. Existing Hermite integrators of any order can be modified to use the expressions presented here with minimal effort. Accordingly the schemes presented herein can be easily implemented on massively parallel architectures.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. II. Emission from Hot Spots on a Rapidly Rotating Neutron Star

We describe the model of surface emission from a rapidly rotating neutron star that is applied to Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray data of millisecond pulsars in order to statistically constrain the neutron star mass-radius relation and dense matter equation of state. To ensure that the associated calculations are both accurate and precise, we conduct an extensive suite of verification tests between our numerical codes for both the Schwarzschild + Doppler and Oblate Schwarzschild approximations, and compare both approximations against exact numerical calculations. We find superb agreement between the code outputs, as well as in comparison against a set of analytical and semi-analytical calculations, which combined with their speed, demonstrates that the codes are well-suited for large-scale statistical sampling applications. A set of verified, high-precision reference synthetic pulse profiles is provided to the community to facilitate testing of other independently developed codes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Star Formation in Accretion Disks and SMBH Growth

Accretion disks around active galactic nuclei are potentially unstable to star formation at large radii. We note that when the compact objects formed from some of these stars spiral into the central supermassive black hole, there is no radiative feedback and therefore the accretion rate is not limited by radiation forces. Using a set of accretion disk models, we calculate the accretion rate onto the central supermassive black hole in both gas and compact objects. We find that the timescale for a supermassive black hole to double in mass can decrease by factors ranging from $\sim0.7$ to as low as $\sim0.1$ in extreme cases, compared to gas accretion alone. Our results suggest that the formation of extremely massive black holes at high redshift may occur without prolonged super-Eddington gas accretion or very massive seed black holes. We comment on potential observational signatures as well as implications for other observations of active galactic nuclei.

astro-ph.HE↗