Module 05: Creating Initial Conditions

Swiftest Short Course

The Purdue University Swiftest Team

Carlisle Wishard, David Minton, Jennifer Pouplin, Jake Elliott, & Dana Singh

Swiftest GitHub	Swiftest Website	Fraggle Paper

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Module 5 - Creating Initial Conditions

Welcome back to the Swiftest Short Course! In Module 4, you learned about the input parameter options included in Swiftest, and you selected the parameters that are appropriate for your project. In Module 5, you will learn how to use the Swiftest Python package (installation covered in Module 2) to create a set of initial conditions files. These initial conditions files will include the parameter input file (param.in), the central body input file (cb.in), the massive body input file (pl.in), and the test particle input file (tp.in). All four input files are required to run Swiftest and are standardized across all four integrators. By the end of this module, you will know how the use the Swiftest Python pacakge to create a set of custom input file, as well as how to edit these files after they have been created.

Active Learning Goals Checklist

By the end of Module 5, you will know how to:

• Create an initial conditions file using the Swiftest Python package
• Select parameters appropriate for your project goals
• Import known bodies from the JPL Horizons database
• Add user-defined bodies to your system of particles
• Export all necessary input files
• Interpret the structure of the input files and how to edit them

Materials and Information

To complete Module 5, you may need:

• The Swiftest GitHub
• The JPL Horizons Database

Module 5 Video Tutorial

link to the video module or possibly embed?

Module 5 Exercise

[If a python exercise, link to a jupyter notebook. If not, define the deliverable for this module.]

Continue Learning

Congratulations on completing Module 5 of the Swiftest Short Course! Continue to Module 6 to learn how to run a Swiftest simulation.

To learn more about Fraggle, see our paper. To learn more about Swiftest, or to contact the Purdue Swiftest Team, see our website.