Stability Module

The stability module in SHERLOCK provides tools for assessing the dynamical stability of multi-planet systems. This module helps determine whether a detected planetary system configuration is physically plausible over long timescales.

Overview

The stability module offers capabilities for:

  • N-body simulations of planetary systems

  • Assessment of orbital stability over different timescales

  • Identification of unstable orbital configurations

  • Determination of stable regions for additional planets

  • Stability maps and visualizations

Usage

The stability module can be run directly from the command line:

# Using a properties YAML configuration file (main usage method)
python3 -m sherlockpipe.stability --properties stability.yaml

# See example configuration file at examples/properties/stability.yaml
# `<https://github.com/franpoz/SHERLOCK/blob/master/examples/properties/stability.yaml>`_

# Additional optional parameters
python3 -m sherlockpipe.stability --properties stability.yaml --years 1000 --dt 0.05 --cpus 4

The input configuration file (when used) typically includes:

  • Planet masses, radii, and orbital parameters

  • Simulation duration and timestep

  • Output preferences for stability metrics

  • Integration method settings

API Reference

sherlockpipe.stability

Integration with External Packages

The stability module integrates with specialized N-body simulation packages to perform stability analysis, providing a user-friendly interface to configure and run these simulations within the SHERLOCK environment.