Binary Star Evolution Modules in <tt>REBOUNDx</tt>
Abstract Close-binary evolution couples Roche lobe overflow (RLOF), common envelope (CE) drag, stellar winds, magnetic braking, and gravitational-wave losses, exchanging mass and angular momentum while reshaping orbits and spins. We present interoperable effects in the REBOUNDx extension to REBOUND that embed these processes within high-accuracy N -body dynamics. The suite includes: a momentum-conserving RLOF operator with conservative and systemic channels and configurable specific j loss ; a CE drag model based on Mach-dependent dynamical friction with kick limiting; isotropic Reimers winds, Parker-type thermal winds, and Eddington-limited outflows powered by a parametric stellar evolution module supplying mass-dependent R and L ; magnetic braking via the Verbunt–Zwaan/Kawaler torque with a saturation-aware closed-form spin update; and post-Newtonian corrections (2 PN point-mass and spin-spin; 2.5 PN radiation reaction). Linear momentum is conserved for conservative transfer, a minimal corrective torque enforces angular momentum consistency, and adaptive substepping stabilizes evolution near contact. Intermodule flags coordinate wind/RLOF/CE activity. The unit-agnostic framework enables self-consistent, time-resolved studies of close binaries in isolated or dynamically rich settings. Multiple examples and comparisons against other codes are provided in the appendices. The code is available at https://github.com/malidib/ReboundS .
Authors
- Mohamad Ali-Dib (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6633-376X)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astronomical Journal
- Published
- 2026-04-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ae5533
- Primary Topic
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00