YREC is a 1.5D (pseudo 2D) stellar evolution code optimized for the study of hydrostatic stars from the pre-main sequence through to the helium burning phase of evolution. YREC can also be used to study giant planets and white dwarfs. It is fast, precise, and accurate in the domains where it functions. YREC has been extensively used for both stellar population and stellar physics studies, including high-precision solar models.
YREC uses modern input microphysics (equation of state, energy transport, energy generation, surface boundary conditions) with a variety of user-configurable options. It has the option to include important physical processes not traditionally considered in classical stellar models. YREC includes the structural effects of rotation using a pseudo-2D approximation. It includes star-disk coupling, rotationally induced mixing, internal angular momentum transport, angular momentum loss from magnetized winds, and the ability to model different rotation profiles in convective regions. It also includes gravitational settling, mass loss, and the structural effects of starspots and magnetic fields.
Science is a communal and collaborative effort. One born not from worry about risk, but rather the assumption of it. One advances not by the gatekeeping of tools but by the dissemination of them. To this end, I hope YREC will be a tool that will provide more alternatives to solving relevant problems in stellar astrophysics. I also hope that it will complement and advance the existing small but proud set of publicly available stellar evolution codes, such as PARSEC and MESA. YREC is primarily written in Fortran 98; as a result, early career scientists interested in the code may find it difficult or unwieldy to use on the onset. I work to develop Python-based wrappers and user interfaces to ensure broader access and a reduced learning curve, which will hopefully lower the barriers of usage and to science in general. I am also responsible for generating and maintaining the YREC-derived sample isochrone library: ISTARY.
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