Perturbed binaries are resolved into their components, both for purposes of determining their center of mass motion and for determining their effect on other stars. Unperturbed treatments of multiple systems also are used, based on empirical studies of the stability of their internal motion. For systems without an imposed Galactic tidal field, this stripping radius is arbitrary. For systems with a tidal field, the stripping radius is more usually tied to the Jacobi radius of the cluster. The behavior of kira is controlled by its command-line parameters.
Basic options are as follows.
Default values for a new simulation are indicated in square brackets. The first page of log output gives complete information on parameter settings adopted and modifications made during initialization. Many of the above options are fairly self-explanatory. The per-step integration error scales as the fifth power of this parameter. The softening parameter is commonly used to avoid problems associated with the singularity in the point-mass gravitational field.