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This is a minimal repository that has features recommended for a small project. These features are described in the PyHC 2024 Summer School "How-To" session.

The size and complexity of this project are at the threshold of where it makes sense to create a package and generalize and refactor the code.

Install and Run

Open a terminal and enter

git clone https://github.com/rweigel/simple-project
cd simple-project
# pip install scipy matplotlib if not on HelioCloud
python main.py # creates main.log; see switches at top of file for options
python plot.py # creates figures/field_lines.{png,svg}

Overview

This repository contains code for experiments involving comparing field line tracing algorithms and visualizing field lines. Packages exist for field line tracing (see Related), but to simplify the experiment and interpretation of results, we do not use them.

The two primary functions in main.py are compare() and generate().

  • compare() is used to determine how the location of the equatorial crossing of a dipole field line depends on the integration algorithm. The motivation is that when many field lines must be traced, we want to use the most efficient solver that provides solutions within some error bounds. Here, we only report on the results of the choice of integration algorithm. Other factors influencing the solution are the settings for relative and absolute tolerances.

    compare() uses SciPy's solve_ivp to compute using RK23 and RK45.

  • generate() creates field lines that can be plotted by executing plot.py.

compare() results

A dipole field of

$B_y = 3yz/r^5$

$B_z = (3z^2 - r^2)/r^5$

and the default absolute and relative tolerances for solve_ivp were used with a stop criteria of $z = 0$.

For a field line trace that starts at $(y,z)=(1,1)$, the algorithms stop at

RK23: y = 2.834630 z = -6.94e-17
RK45: y = 2.831050 z =  1.11e-16

The difference in $y$ between the two algorithms corresponds to a difference of 23 km if the length scale of $r$ is Earth's radius, $6371$ km.

Additional reporting information generated by compare() is shown in main.log.

generate() results

The function generate() creates five field lines of length 2. After executing main.py, execute plot.py to see the results, which are shown below.

figure

Appendix

Related

TODO

  1. Use events to stop field line trace when field line hits r=1.
  2. Add option to use field from SpacePy. See spacepy_field.py for example use of SpacePy for computing a magnetic field from a model.
  3. Allow user-selection of resolution of points along field line reported (s_eval).
  4. Mirror field lines around $z=0$ in plots.
  5. Add test using spherical representation comparison with cartesian form used.
  6. Document related links