POSYDON-code / POSYDON-code/POSYDON

Incomplete calculation of the Bondi-Hoyle accretion rate

Open
#829 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

@sgossage is already working on this.

Since Sep 11, 2026.

  • #926 by @sgossage — open
P2 - medium priority
Dominant language
Python
Stars
45
Forks
37
Avg merge
8d 20h
Merged PRs (30d)
5

Description

In common_functions.py we calculate the Bondi-Hoyle accretion rate, but this calculation is imperfect. In calculating it, we draw a random orbital phase. This is not the correct approach. Instead, we should be performing an orbit average - this has an analytic form. Note, it assumes some approximations (orbital periods are short).

Relevant code is in bondi_hoyle function in common_functions.py.

Specific code starts around lines 631

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Research direction

Start in common_functions.py around line 631, at the bondi_hoyle function, and review the open pull request #926 for the current work. Replace the random orbital-phase calculation with the analytic orbit average described by the issue, accounting for its short-period approximation. Done means the rate no longer depends on a randomly drawn phase and uses the orbit-averaged result.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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