Modeling chondrule melting using a resizing box_tree code

Abstract

Current theories hold that chondrule formation results from the melting of clusters of relict grains in the protoplanetary nebula. Although it is possible to simulate the coagulation of dust particles in the protoplanetary nebula, the accuracy of such a simulation is dependent on the number of particles used. A larger number of particles yields a more accurate simulation, but comes at the expense of considerably longer CPU times. On the other hand, once the number of particles used by the simulation drops below a certain threshold, the model begins to lose relevance. box_tree is a program that divides the protoplanetary disk into self-similar patches or boxes. Boundary conditions on a box are imposed using twenty-six “ghost” boxes. box_tree utilizes tree code to deal with gravitational and electrostatic forces between particles within the ring. This paper introduces a scheme whereby the box_tree model can significantly enlarge its simulation parameters allowing for more realistic data generation.