The Yarkovsky effect in REBOUNDx

Abstract

To more thoroughly study the effects of radiative forces on the orbits of small, astronomical bodies, we introduce the Yarkovsky effect into REBOUNDx, an extensional library for the N-body integrator REBOUND. Two different versions of the Yarkovsky effect (the "Full Version" and the "Simple Version") are available for use, depending on the needs of the user. We provide demonstrations for both versions of the effect and compare their computational efficiency with another previously implemented radiative force. In addition, we show how this effect can be used in tandem with other features in REBOUNDx by simulating the orbits of asteroids during the asymptotic giant branch phase of a 2 $M_{\odot}$ star. This effect is made freely available for use with the latest release of REBOUNDx.