Currently, the dynamics of the three parent stars is treated using the scatter3 package from STARLAB, the hydrodynamics of the merger(s) with MMAS, and the evolution of the product with Jarrod Hurley's SSE stellar evolution code. In the cases of mergers, the subsequent dynamics of the first merger product and the remaining star are treated using a Runge-Kutta integrator from Numerical Recipes. The hope is that the physics in each stage, or at the interfaces between the stages, will be improved by the experts in that field. The parent star input models will be replaced with ones in the format produced by the freely available stellar evolution code Tycho. The stellar dynamics will be completely controlled by STARLAB packages. MMAS will be replaced with a more general collision module that, among other improvements, allows for the possibility that the two stars do not merge. The stellar evolution code will be replaced with one that uses the full structure and chemical composition information provided by the collision module.
The primary code developers and contributors to this project are Jarrod Hurley (AMNH), Piet Hut (IAS), James Lombardi (Allegheny), Jun Makino (Tokyo), Steve McMillan (Drexel), Peter Teuben (Maryland), and Jessica Sawyer Warren (Rutgers), and will hopefully include many others in the future. The initial web interface was developed by Vicki Johnson (Interconnect).
This program is an outgrowth of the first MODEST workshop. MODEST stands for MOdeling DEnse STellar systems. For more information, see the MODEST homepage and the following summary article.