A tree code for planetesimal dynamics: comparison with a hybrid direct code

Abstract

We present a tree code for simulations of collisional systems dominated by a central mass. We describe the implementation of the code and the results of some test runs with which the performance of the code was tested. A comparison between the behaviour of the tree code and a direct hybrid integrator is also presented. The main result is that tree codes can be useful in numerical simulations of planetary accretion, especially during intermediate stages, where possible runaway accretion and dynamical friction lead to a population with a few large bodies in low-eccentricity and low-inclination orbits embedded in a large swarm of small planetesimals in rather excited orbits. Some strategies to improve the performance of the code are also discussed.