LeapfrogPropagator

class ssapy.propagator.LeapfrogPropagator(accel, h)

Bases: RKPropagator

Second-order symplectic leapfrog propagator.

This propagator uses a fixed-step kick-drift-kick update, also known as velocity Verlet / leapfrog integration. It is especially well-suited for conservative dynamical systems, where long-term energy behavior is often better than with non-symplectic fixed-step methods of similar cost.

Parameters:

• accel (ssapy.Accel) – Accel object containing the acceleration model by which to propagate.

• h (float) – Fixed time step in seconds.

Notes

This method is most appropriate for conservative force models. It can still be used with non-conservative or time-dependent accelerations, but some of the desirable symplectic properties may no longer hold.